Who's the Fairest One of All?
by Ramasylle-Karanese
Summary: Once upon a time, a boy took the place of the Evil Queen as Fairest of Them All. He managed to escape death by her orders, but what lies in wait for him beyond the life he knew and hated within the castle? This is his story.
1. Ch 1 A Wish, A Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own the basic idea of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in which this story idea is very much based (until some parts, that is….)

Warnings: there is going to be some boy X boy in this. Don't like, don't read. I will ignore flames, and embrace helpful comments. Also, there is a definite character changing in this. Snow white is a boy, and not even named snow white. The seven dwarves are actually gorgeous human men who live in the Forbidden Forest or whatever because they are exiles. So there isn't any creepy ugly dwarves and people slashes. Things will be explained as we go, so if your confused by some things…yeah… be patient!

Hello dearest readers! Remasylle-Karanese. I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and this popped into my head. No idea, really as to why…but whatever. I hope you like, and if you don't, well, to bad, and stop reading for goodness sakes. Comments are welcomed, and helpful tips too. I now present to you, Who's the Fairest One of All!

Who's the Fairest One of All?

Once upon a time, there was a Queen who believed she was the most beautiful person in the world. She was very vain, and so she would go to her mirror every day, and ask one question

"Mirror Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" and it would answer in truth "Your Majesty is the fairest of all" the Queen would then leave the mirror in satisfaction. After a few years of this, a prince, her nephew, was born. His parents both died when he was two years old, and so his Uncle, the Queens youngest brother, took the boy in and raised him. This boy, named Abel is not ordinary. In fact, he is the most beautiful person of all. Abel has perfect porcelain skin, full lips, raven black hair, long lashes, and emerald eyes. The Queen realized this when Abel was at a very young age, and she did not like this. First she got rid of her brother, then forced Abel to become a serf, dressing him in rags and keeping him as dirty as possible. But nothing could mask his beauty, and whenever the Queen went to the mirror on the wall, it would answer her in truth "In your age, Queen, you no longer shine like the star before, so another has taken your place; Abel the young prince is the fairest on of all" and she would leave in a rage. Finally, she could bear it no longer…

Ch. 1. A Wish, A Friend.

Abel looked to the sky in happiness. He had finally finished his last job; scrubbing at the entrance steps. They were made up of about 25 steps, all nearly impossible to clean stone. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sat with a huff on the last step.

"At last!" he sighed. His voice, at the age of 16, was sensual and smooth as honey. He leaned against the step above, and stared at the virgin clouds that were drifting slowly across the sky. His pet, Tipsy, a rat, sat on his knee.

"Tipsy, lets celebrate my success!" Abel said, and he picked Tipsy up and ran to the well at the back of the castle. He skidded to a halt and looked down into the damp depths.

"Want to hear a story, Tipsy?" Abel asked the rat. The rat, smarter than it looks, twitched it's whiskers. Abel smiled.

"Once there was a prince, who was forced into slave labor by his terribly wicked aunt. But then one day he ran away, and fell in love with a beautiful princess, who he vowed to protect. They married, and he became the king of a vast country, his princess at his side until they died." he narrated. The rat seemed to roll it's eyes, and it leaned over the edge of the well, peering inside. It knew what was coming next. Abel glanced at the high wall that he would have had to climb if he ever got the chance to run away; which he didn't.

"You know what, Tipsy? Wells can grant wishes." he said wistfully, and he leaned forward into the well, and, like every other time, quietly told his wish.

"Oh well of great magic and power, hear this poor man's plea…give me a chance to run away, and marry a beautiful princess who will let me live free" and he listened sadly to its echo, hearing his own voice return as a whisper. He turned his back to the moss covered stone of the well, and he sat on the ground. Tipsy scurried to Abel's shoulder. Abel began to hum a miserable tune. When he heard another voice hum it in a little less of a gloomy way, he looked up with a start. A girl was jumping over the high wall. She fell and landed with perfect balance. She straightened and smiled at Abel. He just stared. The girl walked over to him.

"Hi, boy, what's your name?" she asked cheerily. Abel stood up.

"uh, I'm Abel, and this is Tipsy." he said. The girl grinned.

"Abel, eh? And a rat. Hmmm. I guess you're the Prince of Pure Beauty that every one talks about at home." she said with a smirk. Abel shrugged. He got that a lot. He looked the girl up and down. She was not extraordinary. In fact, she was very ordinary. Her hair was straight and brown, her eyes were brown, her skin was a light cream, and she had freckles. She was about his age, maybe even older, and she held herself like she owned the world. He quirked an eyebrow.

"And you are here why? And what is your name?" Abel asked. She smiled.

" I heard a sad voice humming a sad tune, and so I came to investigate. Just call me Charming for now, since after all, I am being charming, no? Are you lonely? Lets play!" she said cheerfully. Abel was taken aback, at her odd name, and her inquiry.

"Play? I can't, I've got work to do." he said nervously, looking at the ground not forgetting that he had already finished his slave labor for the day. Charming tilted her head.

"So? Play with me anyway! Lets go!" she shouted gleefully, and she tugged him along. Tipsy managed to leap from Abel's shoulder and scurry away.

Abel had never had so much fun. He and the strange Charming played well after the sun set, playing games he never got to play as a small child; like tag, hide and seek, and kickball. He never even stopped to think that it was childish to play these games. He only thought about how exciting these simple games were. At times, Charming was confused as to why he did not know what a few of the games were, but she never voiced it. Abel told Charming his stories, and sang her his songs, and she did the same. By the time she left, Abel had felt a new feeling. It began the moment he saw her drop from the wall that afternoon, and only grew in intensity during their games and stories. He learned she liked him not for his beauty, which everyone else did, excluding the Queen, but she liked him for the sensitive, kind, determined, creative heart he had. Abel believed he was in love with this ordinary girl. Before Charming left, he asked her to come again. She enthusiastically agreed. After waving her goodbye, and watching her disappear over the wall, he began twirling like a fool.

"Oh, Tipsy, wherever you are, I want to tell you that I think I'm in love!" he sang happily. After falling with dizziness, Abel went to his small under-the-stairway bedroom, and lay in bed, grinning. Thinking of his day, he drifted off to sleep; his dreams filled with the charming girls loud laughter, and her infectious smiles.

And there you have it….Chapter one. Very short, but I hope to make the rest of them longer. Things will make more sense in the near future….I hope…and if they don't, it might make more sense in the end….you'll see!….I hope. Please leave comments!!!

Ramasylle-Karanese.


	2. Ch 2 And Into the Forest

Disclaimer: I do not own the basic idea of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in which this story idea is very much based (until some parts, that is….)

Warnings: there is going to be some boy X boy in this. Don't like, don't read. I will ignore flames, and embrace helpful comments. Also, there is a definite character changing in this. Snow white is a boy, and not even named snow white. The seven dwarves are actually gorgeous human men who live in the Forbidden Forest or whatever because they are exiles. So there isn't any creepy ugly dwarves and people slashes. Things will be explained as we go, so if your confused by some things…yeah… be patient!

Hello's again. I have yet to hear from anyone…but that is to be expected due to the lack of fans in this field of fandom…But I don't care. All I hope is that someone is reading it! Here is the next part…

Who's the Fairest One of All?

Ch. 2. And Into the Forest.

The Queen had seen her scullery boy cousin playing with that girl, and she knew something sparked there. She did not like the way he kept mentioning becoming free from this place, and becoming a king. She decided that the next day, she will have someone take that boy away and dispose of him. After all, she was sick of hearing the mirror say that a boy, a BOY was the fairest one of all. She summoned the Hunter of the castle; renowned for his skill with weapons.

"Yes, your Majesty?" he said, bowing low to the intimidating woman. The Queen's aura blazed rage.

"You know of our little scullery prince, yes?" she asked in a voice of ice. The Hunter nodded.

"I do, your Majesty." he said. The Queen stood from her throne, and stalked up to the hunter.

"I will give you a big sum of gold if you do me one simple favor." She hissed. The Hunter backed up a step, and bowed.

"Whatever you demand of me, your Majesty, I will do without question." he replied. The Queen smiled without humor.

"Of course you would. Now, I need you to take that infuriating Abel, and take him to the Forbidden Forest. There, I want you to slay him without mercy, and bring back his heart. In this." she said, and the Queen handed the hunter an intricate box of glass, silver, and emeralds. He stared at it in horror.

"But your Majesty, it is the prince, I could never…" he was interrupted by a sharp slap.

"Do not say you cannot do it, you fool. You just said yourself you would do anything without question. Bring me back that boys heart, and you will not regret it. If you don't, I will hunt you down and castrate you myself, then I will kill you in a very slow and painful way." she shouted. The hunter rubbed his cheek, and took the box. He turned dejectedly. He had nothing against the boy, and killing for no reason was not his way. But he knew the Queen was serious about what she threatened.

"Yes, your Majesty." he said.

Abel woke up early, like usual, and began scavenging for breakfast. He gathered up a scant bit of bread, some fruit, and a boiled egg that was left from yesterday. He shared his findings with Tipsy, who appeared from a small hole in the wall. As Abel meandered through the still asleep castle, he was confronted by the Hunter. Tipsy took flight, and dove into the hole in the wall. Abel was surprised, and stopped in his tracks.

"Good morning, Prince" the Hunter said charmingly. Abel did not trust anyone very much, but he trusted the Hunter more that anyone, due to his no-touch-policy friendliness.

"Good morning, Hunter. And what brings you out so early?" Abel asked nicely. The Hunter grinned.

"Shouldn't I ask you that, your Highness?" the man asked. Abel was trying to coax Tipsy out of the wall, so he did not notice how the Hunter winced and looked away as he said this, already feeling like he had cut the boy down. Abel looked back up, eyes shining with an innocent, clueless light. The Hunter nearly fell to his knees there, begging him to do something with the wretched Queen. But he knew the Prince could never do such a thing.

"I suppose you're right. I'm just up at my usual time!" Abel said cheerily, grinning. The Hunter knew this was because this boy did almost all of the work. The Queen nearly killed every other servant in the castle, telling them that if they helped him, or did his work, she would flay them alive. So Abel did most of the work himself. The Hunter sighed softly, which went unnoticed by Abel, who had managed to get his black and white rat out of the wall.

"Your Majesty, I have been given permission to take you out today!" the Hunter tried to sound cheerful. It fooled the clueless kid. Abel's gaze lit up like gunpowder.

"Really?! Oh! That's the best news I've heard…ever! When do we leave? What are we going to do?!" he gushed happily. The Hunter smiled wanly.

"We'll go to the Forbidden Forest and see what's so 'Forbidden' about it. How does that sound!" Hunter said in mock glee. Abel bounced around, and Tipsy squeaked in indignation.

"Then lets go!" Abel had apparently forgotten about meeting up with Charming, the girl from yesterday. The Hunter grinned and told Abel to follow him out. Abel chattered on about how exciting this was, and the Hunter shouldered a rucksack, the contents: some normal traveling things including dried meat, and water, with two other things; a silver dagger, and the beautiful box with its terrible destiny.

The Hunter watched as Abel frisked around in the flower field just outside of the Forbidden Forest. His heart lay heavy. He had to do what was bidden of him. If not, a certain painful death lay in wait, and he was a man of saving his own skin before others. And yet…He shook his head. Abel had fallen down, and the boy began to gather flowers.

"Have a lady you want to give those to?" Hunter called. Abel looked up and turned red.

"Uh, yeah, actually…" he shouted back. Hunter smiled. Finally, the boy had something more manly about him; he was interested in a girl! The older man noticed how late it was getting. His chest clenched in a bit of fear, but mostly in regret. He had grown to like this kid. But orders were orders. Abel had gone back to his lazing about, dozing in the fading sunlight. Hunter rummaged quietly through the rucksack, and drew out the dagger, and the box. He was not looking forward to this. The Hunter crept closer to the sleeping boy, stalking his purely innocent prey. He stepped up right next to Abel, and he drew his hand back to strike the killing blow that would make the kid bleed to death from the throat, when Abel's eyes opened.

"Wha-?" The confused, terrified, hurt look that flashed in Abel's green eyes made the last bit of calm leave the Hunter.

"Forgive me, Prince Abel…This is the ordering of the Queen! But I realize that I cannot do it…she told me to kill you and cut out your heart, and give it to her in this box…But I just can't! You are so young, plus…" the man's eye began to tear up, as he realized that if he went back with Abel, the Queen would kill them both.

"Abel, you must leave! The Queen must not find out! She will do anything to become the fairest one of all again! She's gone mad! I know…run away! Go into the forest. No one would ever think of looking for you there!" Hunter said. Abel was nearly speechless. As he lay dozing, he was almost slain unawares. How foolish could he get? But he was listening to the Hunter, and Abel realized that the man was right. His Aunt would never let him live if the Hunter was ordered to kill him, and the man failed to do so. Abel scrambled up to his feet.

"Into the forest? But…" Abel began.

"No! leave now! The Queen will be expecting me very soon! Plus I must make up a ploy…I will use the heart of a boar! Leave Abel! Your life depends on it! Go! Go!" Hunter screamed, and Abel, afraid of the mad glint in the Hunters eyes, took off at full flight. He ran into the thick undergrowth of the Forbidden Forest. Twigs, branches, and brambles caught to his clothes. Mysterious things grabbed at his hair. Fear bubbled up inside of him, choking him; drowning him in its thick, painful grip. It was fear of being hunted. He tore through the forest, tripping, stumbling, and seeing things in the shadows. It seemed like huge monsters were clawing at him; things with teeth gnashed their jaws for his flesh. Flickers of light made him think the Hunter's knife was glinting in the dim sunlight that managed to filter through the thick leaves. Abel finally fell one last time, and he had no energy to get back up. In his fear, he began to cry. Shudders ran through him as he covered his head. Abel sobbed for a long time, unable to control the feelings that escaped him. After a while of not feeling the sharp agony he expected from a well sharpened dagger, he looked up, and nearly screamed. There, in front of him, stood seven, tall, dangerously handsome men. And they did not look happy.


	3. Ch 3 Slavery!

Disclaimer: I do not own the basic idea of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in which this story idea is very much based (until some parts, that is….) and make no profit. Obviously.

Warnings: there is going to be some boy X boy in this. Don't like, don't read. I will ignore flames, and embrace helpful comments. Also, there is a definite character changing in this. Snow white is a boy, and not even named snow white. The seven dwarves are actually gorgeous human men who live in the Forbidden Forest or whatever because they are exiles. So there isn't any creepy ugly dwarves and people slashes. There is going to be some action in the future chaps! Hope you look forward to them!

Yo you all! How's it been? Not to long, really…How do you like it so far? Any good? Review people! Please! I mean…it's not like I can make the threat "you don't review, I don't post" cause… so far, I don't even know if anyone likes it!

Ch. 3 Slavery?!

The looks on the seven men's faces were very menacing. Abel scrambled up and wiped his nose with his sleeve. The feeling of embarrassment almost swelled up inside of him when he realized that they must have been watching him cry, but the way the men were now coming at him made Abel tamp it down. He began to back up.

"W-what do you w-want?" Abel stuttered. The scariest one, who was also the most gorgeous, stepped up to him. He was dressed in a loose shirt with a red vest over it, and baggy brown trousers.

"Looks like a little mouse has stumbled into our territory. And he looks lost. I wonder what we should do to this trespasser?" he said, voice deep and sweet as honey. His eyes were nearly black, and he had silver hair that hung loosely at his shoulders. His face was like it was sculpted from tan colored marble, and his body was corded with steel muscle. Abel gulped.

"Um…I'm lost…but I can't go back to where I was...uh…can you…help…me?" Abel asked softly. The leader smirked.

"Why would we do that? If anyone needs help, it's us. Right guys?" he said, twisting to face his companions, who all shouted their agreement. Abel shuddered when the mans gaze fell on him again. The man looked Abel up and down.

"Hmm…your not a bad find…not at all. So who are you, mouse?" the silver haired man asked. Abel bit his lip. The man looked impatient.

"It's Abel." Abel said quickly. The man burst out laughing, and the others joined.

"Prince Abel, the Prettiest human in the world? Ha! And I believe it, with your black hair, green eyes, and white skin. And those lips…"The man laughed, looking at Abel hungrily. Abel stepped back from the creepy look, his back coming up to the rough bark of a tree. Abel closed his eyes.

"Please don't say things like that" Abel muttered. The man chuckled. The others followed suit.

"And you have a say in anything I say? I don't think so. So guys, what do we do with him?" came an inquiry. Abel opened his eyes in fear.

"Don't kill me!" he pleaded. The man smiled evilly.

"Why not?" and then he turned around, joined his group, and began to discuss something. Abel could tell it was about him. The one man who didn't look like he was about to eat him kept looking up and grinning foolishly. The others grabbed his hair and jerked him back to the discussion. Abel was about to bolt when the silver haired man turned around again.

"Ok. We have decided to keep you, little mouse. But you won't learn our real names, so we will just give you our nicknames. Mine is Grumpy. This guy…" and Grumpy pulled over the less menacing of them all. He was blond, his mouth at a never changing half smile, seemingly sad, and his eyes were a staring cerulean. He wore the same style as Grumpy, but with a green vest.

"He's Dopy. He doesn't talk, plus he's clumsy, and an idiot. This here is Happy." Grumpy pointed to the man with a shock of auburn hair, a slight dusting of freckles, and golden eyes. He was the most cheerful looking one, and was bouncing on the balls of his feet, grinning widely. His vest was orange.

"Nice to meet you!" he said cheerfully. Abel smiled uncertainly. Grumpy poked another in the chest. He looked as if he was sleeping on his feet. His brown hair fell in his eyes, and he was very childish looking.

"This is Sleepy. Nothing to worry much from this guy, except for the fact that he can sleep anywhere." Grumpy grumbled. He shoved Sleepy. Sleepy snorted and blinked his eyes open. They were hazel. Abel nodded slowly noting that his vest was blue, and jumped a mile high when a resounding sneeze shook the trees. Grumpy looked annoyed.

"That's Sneezy. He always sneezes. Don't get to close when he's about to blow. It's a hazard to your safety." Grumpy jabbed his thumb behind him, where the named Sneezy was rubbing his nose.

"'Scuse me." he said thickly. Abel was amazed at how black his hair was. _Almost like mine _Abel thought. Sneezy's eyes were grey, and like the others, had a colored vest. It was yellow. Abel noticed a lanky figure poking his head around Sleepy, who was back asleep, miraculously. Grumpy followed Abel's eyes, and spotted the target.

"Aw, that's Bashful. He probably won't talk much to you, since he gets to embarrassed around hot people." Grumpy said, smirking. Abel blushed. Bashful was a strange kind of attractive. He was thin, tall, and had long black hair, falling nearly to his waist, with eyes that were a plain old brown. Bashful's skin was a deep tan, almost foreign, his vest a dark purple. Abel thought this weird. And yet it looked good on the guy. Abel grinned at Bashful, for the moment forgetting that he was not in a favorable-for-him position. Bashful seemed to glow red, and he hid behind Sleepy. Grumpy shook his head and pointed to a man who looked annoyed. He was tall, thick, had plain brown hair cut in a no-nonsense way, his vest also brown. He was the most masculine; which scared Abel for some reason.

"And that there is Dock. He thinks he's the smartest." Grumpy told Abel with a roll of his eyes. Grumpy leaned in towards Abel, who tried to retreat further into the tree.

"But it's not true. I'm the smartest. I just let him think he is." Grumpy whispered. Abel shivered, feeling goose-bumps rise on his skin. Grumpy stood straight again.

"So, that's all of us. Now you will come with us!" Grumpy said. Happy chuckled, and Dock grinned almost sadistically. Abel felt a weight pull at his chest. He also felt sick.

"What for?" he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Oh, well, you're going to become our slave!" Grumpy said with a pretend smile. Abel did not feel cheery. In fact, he was very upset.

"WHAT?! I was a slave back home! Don't do this to me!" Abel shouted out in despair. He couldn't believe this! It was so unfair. He had finally escaped the life he hated so much, only to stumble upon a new start he could tell he did not want. Grumpy looked surprised. Actually, everyone did. Dock's face cracked in half with a huge grin.

"Are you playing…flaying…uh…saying you were a slave before this?!" he asked excitedly, saying weird things. _Obviously, they don't care that I was._ Abel thought bitterly. He nodded once, looking away in anger.

"Well good! That means you blow…throw…um…KNOW the ropes on what needs to be done!" Dock said giddily. Abel stared out into the forest. _Maybe I can make a run for it_…He tried to bolt, but Grumpy had him in an vise-like bear hug before he could even twitch.

"Ah, Ah, Ah. You're not going ANYWHERE." Grumpy tsked, dangerously low. Abel went limp with despair. _Well, at least I could be given credit for trying_. Abel thought sadly. He was going to accept his fate. Even if it did make his soul 'bleed'. Dock laughed.

"This is going to be great! Now our house will be seen…sheen…ugh…clean! And the I can satisfy what has been killing me for a bile now…pile now…oh my god…while now…" Dock said darkly, except it was ruined by his strange habit of saying strange things before he could get what he really wanted to say, out. Abel sighed. He was so dead. Happy bounced up the Grumpy, who still held Abel tightly.

"You're going to be so much fun to have!" Happy said gaily. Abel didn't even look up. Grumpy shifted, and let go of Abel. A long rope hung from Abel's neck and wrists. It trailed to the ground, and back up to Happy's hands. Abel glared death at the seven beautiful men. He hated them. He hated them all. Abel didn't even realize that Happy had tied him up! Tears burned his eyes again, but he managed to keep them in check. Happy did not miss any of it.

"Aw, don't be to sad. I promise you'll have fun to!" Happy said, trying, and failing, to cheer the boy up. The words only made him for furious. Abel looked away angrily.

"Lets get back home." Grumpy said. The men all cheered and began marching away. Abel thought they looked kind of stupid, marching like that, but the thought passed quickly as he had to run to keep up. He was focused on not tripping, afraid that the rope might just strangle him if he did. Happy looked back.

"Come on, slave! Keep up!" and he tugged the rope. Hard. Abel nearly flew towards Happy, the tug making him NOT miss the root that jutted up in front of him, thus causing him to trip. Happy laughed, and walked back, bundling up the infuriated beauty, throwing him over his shoulder, and carrying him. Abel kicked and screamed, pounding Happy's back.

"Put me the fuck down! Help! Somebody HELP!!!!" Abel bellowed. Abel felt his knee come in contact with iron abs. Happy dropped Abel like lead. His face was a little chalky, his eyes flashing a dangerous amber.

"Keep kicking and screaming, kid, I'll give you a reason to." He said, all trace of humor gone. Abel instantly shut up. He stared wide eyed at the terrifying sight of an angry Happy. Abel could almost believe his life was now over. But then, miraculously, Happy grinned, bent down, and scooped Abel up, all signs of the threatening side of Happy gone. Abel kept quiet for the rest of the way to the seven men's house. He could almost weep for eternity because of the way his life was now going. He sighed heavily. Abel just could not believe it. He was back to square one; which was being a slave.

And so we have finished chapter 3! WOOOO!!! I hope it was good enough! Were the descriptions to much? REVIEW!! Please.


	4. Ch 4 And so it Begins

**You know the warnings, disclaimers, and all that…boyXboy, don't like don't read, etc. blah blah. Oh, one thing though…some disturbing things…oh, and rape…so if it's uncomfortable for ya…well, then, read up to the point of "he fell asleep in the chair" and scroll to the part were he isn't. it will be bold, and have lines, marked ---HERE--- **at beginning and end.

And so there is four! There is going to be some Dopey/Abel bonding (no, they are not going to fall in love) and other good stuff! *sweating in a corner due to lack of inspiration* Review! Oh, and if you want to know the names of the seven men, we'll get to that, at the end of the story! XD hope your patient. The first part is going to be back at the castle, where the girl, Charming, is looking for Abel. Also, the Hunter has returned...dun dun dun…

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Ch. 4. And so it Begins.

The courtyard was silent. Deathly silent; even for the time that it was, which was night. Charming, as the loud girl had deemed herself, clambered over the wall, excited to play, but curious as to why it was so…quiet. She looked around for her new friend, Abel. All the birds were still, sitting on windowsills and the well's rim in a doleful silence. There was no trace of the boy. She came up to the birds on the well, who fluttered around. Charming kneeled down, putting her elbows on the edge of the well, and gazed at the creatures.

"Where is he?" she wondered out loud. A dove landed in front of her gracefully, and cooed sadly.(AN: doves are so cheesy, I know…I had to though!)

Charming got a foreboding feeling from the birds.

"Is he not here?" She questioned, feeling a little silly for asking an animal. The bird looked up at her, and with a quick nod of the head, it flew away. Charming felt sad too. She didn't know why, but she could tell that something dreadful had happened. A hand resting on her shoulder nearly made her shriek. She jumped up and twirled around, a knife in her hand for defense. The Hunter was staring at her with glassy, almost empty, eyes. The man's clothes were dirty and bloody; the vacant look he wore made him seem more ominous. Fear made Charming's face lose its color.

"What is it?" she asked, acting as if she was a regular visitor. The Hunter smiled wanly.

"You must be the girl Abel was talking about. He picked flowers for you."

(AN: btw, if you haven't noticed, Abel's kind of a pansy…) Hunter said quietly. Charming blushed. Flowers, for her?! She felt special. But the look on the man's face made her lose heart.

"Is he all right?" she asked. Hunter looked at his feet.

"I don't know. He ran away only three hours ago, into the Forbidden Forest. The prince…the prince is probably dead; there is only a slight chance he is not." Hunter whispered sadly. Charming gasped and held her hands to her lips in a typical show of horror. The Hunter looked down the well, staring into the softly rippling surface, seeing his glum expressing reflected off the water.

"Don't tell the Queen that he could be alive. She believes that he is quite dead" Hunter said bitterly, and he turned to leave. Charming took hold of his shirt.

"Wait, what do you mean?!" she asked. Hunter looked at the girl, and shook his head in pity.

"I can't tell you. But whatever you do, consider going after him. There is a chance…that…oh…how can I say this…" the Hunter had just remembered something.

He almost laughed in near self loathing. The poor boy, if alive, was probably being taken captive by the fugitives of the land. The Seven Deadlies, some call them. They were known for pillaging rich villages, and even stealing from a noble, leaving behind very dead victims. They were murderers, and probably didn't mind a person who was as beautiful as Abel, in their midst. And not in a very pleasant way. The Hunter bit his lip in anger. How could he have sent the boy off like he did?! Why didn't he remember the exiles, especially since it was their fault that the forest was Forbidden anyway! He rubbed his temples, internally screaming at his mindlessness, and wishing he had hidden the boy somewhere safer. The Hunter wanted to kick himself, maybe bang his head repeatedly against a nice, cold, hard, stone surface. He was jolted out of his self berating when the girl tugged at his sleeve.

"Go on!" she urged. The Hunter sighed.

"In the Forbidden Forest, there are seven exiled men." He began, as calmly as possible.

"Oh yes…the Seven Deadlies…WHAT?!?!" Charming exclaimed. She opened her mouth to tell this man exactly what she thought of him, abandoning her friend in that horrible place. The Hunter held out a hand to silence the girl.

"Shh!! Yes, and they may have taken Abel to their abode. I'm not really sure what they will do to him…but there is a chance you will find him there." The Hunter said, practically foaming at the mouth in desperation as he told the girl this awful news to her, and thinking of terrible, horrifying things that they would, could, do to the poor innocent prince. Charming was thinking along the same lines. She nodded at the Hunter, grim and determined.

"I will need to go home and get supplies…they could be anywhere…" she muttered angrily to herself. The Hunter smiled. This girl, even if she was a random face he had never seen before, was giving him hope.

"Good luck, girl. I really hope you find him" Hunter said, and he watched as the girl ran to the wall, sailed over it with champion grace, and disappeared into the night. _And now_ he thought grimly, _to try and trick the Queen._ Hunter left the well, sighing again, his breath leaving a billow of white mist in the cold dark air. He made his way slowly up the large steps, his footsteps echoing in the chill vacant air. Hunter knocked on the heavy wooden doors, and called out who he was. The doors creaked open in a dawdling fashion, the noise a loud racket compared to the silence outside. Hunter walked in and made his way to the Queen, who was back in the hall with the mirror. She was taking off the sheet that lay over the mirror when she wasn't using it. He called her, the fear of the mirror telling her what he had not done by saying that Abel was still the fairest of them all. The evil being turned slowly.

"You. Are. Late." she snarled at him. The Hunter bowed low.

"Forgive me, Great Eminence, I did not mean to take so long. After all, it is a messy business to cut the heart out of a person" he said, looking at the ground in mock respect. The Queen strode up to him in a rustle of capes.

"I can see that" she sniffed at him, looking over his bloodied clothes.

"Now, give it to me! Give me the heart of the BOY who DARED to be more fair than I!" she nearly shrieked in insanity, staring down the Hunter with black, evil eyes. The Hunter took out the horribly beautiful box, which was promptly taken from him. He stood to leave. He was stopped by a cold voice.

"Good job, Hunter. You have guaranteed your life. Here is your reward. Now get out!" the Queen said, throwing a heavy bag of coins at the man. He bowed again, and left. The Hunter felt anger rising in his throat like bile. He was going to leave. And he was not going to come back. As he finished the thought, he felt a sharp pain slip in between his ribs, and he gasped in agony. He fell to his knees, holding his side, which was oozing blood. He looked up. The Queen sneered at him, and smiled.

"Can't have you telling others what you've done, now, can we?" She laughed cruelly. The Hunter coughed, feeling his right lung collapse. The world was getting a little darker.

"You Bitch" he hacked out, and, with one last, hate filled look, he fell face-first to the ground. The Queen laughed maniacally, and swung the light sword that was in her grip. In one deft slice, she had ended the man's life.

The Queen returned to the Mirror's Hall after disposing of the Hunter's body with a quick dissipation spell. There was no evidence that he was ever there. She chuckled darkly.

"At last, I can gaze upon the wretched heart of that little cur." she purred softly, and she opened the glass box. The Queen stared at it for a long time, ignoring the pungent smell, and smiling in a very creepy way. She looked demonic. Her eyes were opened wide, her mouth stretched in a snake-like twist of the lips. Her pupils were small, and her hair was coming loose; flying awry in a way that made her look like the lady who turned people to stone; Medusa. The Queen even stroked the heart, and cooed at it.

"Foolish boy…Now I will forever be the Fairest one of all!" she laughed. She turned to the mirror, decided she had too many victories today, covered the mirror up, and left the room, cackling. Anyone who stood near, anyone who could hear, felt as if a presence more evil than can be described by words was among them. They did not sleep at all that night…

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What Dock had said was truthful. The house was a royal disaster. Abel held his breath for as long as possible, trying not to breathe the stagnant air. Happy grinned at Abel and untied him.

"Well, since It's night time, we don't expect you to do anything like cleaning, today!" Happy said cheerfully. Abel groaned. How could they expect him to sleep in this place?! He would rather deal with cleaning all night. The dungeon was cleaner than the place. He stumbled over the doorstep, and stepped into the house, with a not too gentle push from Grumpy.

"Go on, get in!" he said loudly. Abel walked in the rest of the way, wrinkling up his nose. Not forgetting his position, but still wanting to say something, Abel told the seven men what he thought.

"Out of all of you, none of you clean?!" he asked in despair. Happy laughed, Dock scowled, Bashful turned beet red, and Grumpy cuffed Abel on the back of his head.

"No, we don't have the time. Plus, we don't really care. That is why we have you." Grumpy said in a no-nonsense way. Abel sighed.

"Yeah, so I've gathered." he mumbled. The men either didn't hear, or they decided not to react to it. Happy bounded off into the disaster, and pulled out a filthy blanket, and a pillow that seemed as if it had never seen any good days. Abel wrinkled his nose again. He looked around, noting that there was a kitchen like place off at the back of the current room. There was a fireplace that looked like it hadn't been used in a while, used for cooking, with a soiled pot laying on the ground. a large wooden table with a number of chairs was consumed by dirty clothes and dishes. The sink was in similar disarray. The cupboards were all empty, and the floor, no, everything, had a thick layer of grime on it. Abel nearly gagged. He looked up, and saw that a colony of spiders and cobwebs had conquered the ceiling. The small boy shivered; he HATED spiders. Another room like structure branched off from the room everyone was currently in to Abel's left. It also had a fireplace, and some plush couches and chairs. A strange, large instrument leaned against the far wall. To his right, Abel saw a flight of wooden steps. He realized that it must be to the bedrooms. Happy shoved the rags at Abel, and smiled warmly.

"You'll sleep on the shore…core…humph…floor." Dock said smugly, and he yanked Abel up the small flight of stairs. The others followed, yawning, and they began pulling off their clothes, throwing them in random directions. Abel gulped. He was really uncomfortable with these people. Grumpy bolted past him and Dock, stripped down to nothing, and he disappeared into the single room that was at the top of the stairs. Dock flung the closing door open and tossed Abel inside. Grumpy was in a bed that had his nickname carved into it.

"What's with the names…" Abel inquired to Happy. Happy grinned.

"It's a really big joke. When we first got here, we were probably about 15. We built this place!" Happy said. Abel was surprised. A shoe suddenly flew past his face and smacked Happy in the head.

"Shut up, Happy. Go to sleep." Sneezy said. Happy pouted, and went to the bed that had his name carved on it. Soon, everyone but Dock was in bed, fast asleep. Dock advanced towards Abel. The boy stepped back at the movement, it being very sudden, and tripped over the previously chucked shoe. He landed hard on his rump with a huff. Abel was then grabbed by the collar of his shirt, and yanked to his feet.

"Don't you try to fun…sun…run away, you parasite!" he growled. Abel nodded vigorously. Even with the stupid habit of stuttering, Dock was still a menacing figure. Abel let himself be led to Dock's bed. Fearing the worst, Abel was about to fight back, but he was suddenly thrown on the ground, and tied to the bedpost. Abel curled up in the corner; Dock's bed being the furthest from the door, and him being tied to the side of the bed that faced the wall. He could barely hold back the tears that he had been holding since the men appeared into his life. Dock climbed into his bed, and soon, soft (or loud, depending) snores drifted though the air. Abel thought of his pet rat, Tipsy. _I wonder were he went off too…_ Abel thought sadly. He curled himself into a tighter ball, and closed his eyes, sobbing softly.

"This is the worst." he stated quietly. A grunt made him stay silent for the rest of the night. After a few hours of sitting curled up uncomfortably in the corner, Abel managed to nod off into a fitful sleep. His last thought was of the girl Charming. He didn't dream pleasantly that night.

---------------------------------------------------Next Day-------------------------------------------

"COME ON!!! WAKEY WAKEY!!!" a voice hollered in Abel's ear. He startled awake and shot up, only to be pulled back down due to the rope that tied him to Dock's bed. He groaned and sat up. Happy was grinning at him. The golden eyed man swiftly untied Abel's hands, and pulled him up.

"Time for you to start working!" Happy said cheerily. Abel moaned.

"That's right…the mess of doom" he muttered. Happy chuckled.

"Yep, and we're going to be out hunting all day today. Dock and Dopey can't hunt, so they'll keep an eye on ya!" Happy chattered on and on, but Abel stopped listening when the red-head said Dock was going to stay. He fell more into his pit of self pity. When he nearly toppled down the stairs in his trance-of-gloom, he shook himself out of it. _Fine, I'll be their serf, and I'll show them that I am the best at what I do!_ He thought to himself. After Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, and Bashful waved goodbye to Dock and Dopey, and left, Abel got ready for the cleaning of a lifetime. He donned the cleanest apron he could find, rolled up his sleeves, and tied a cloth over his hair.

"And so it begins…" he sighed.

Abel attacked the laundry first. He gathered it all, finding it in places that clothing didn't belong in, and threw them outside. He stripped the beds, and took the curtains. Abel then found a large bar of soap, the washer bin, and all the other things he needed. He marched outside, and began to wash the clothes in the small, crystal clear stream. Taking the bar of soap, he soaked the clothes, and scrubbed them clean. The filth was disturbing. The laundry took nearly two hours, and Abel was sweating in the intense sunlight by the time he went further upstream to wash his face. After he hung the clothes up to dry, he took out all the furniture, dusted them, and scrubbed the wooden ones with some oil he found. He left those out to dry. He then took out any rugs and carpets and beat them like a crazed animal with a crooked stick, sneezing uncontrollably when the dust flew in masses through the air toward him. After the rugs, he piled the ashes from all the fireplaces and threw it in the garden. Abel noticed Dopey out there, weeding and watering the vegetables that grew in the small plot of land.

Back in the house, Abel then sponged down the fireplaces, and replaced the wood. He moved to the floors next, sweeping, then mopping. That took about an hour. He was hot, sweaty, gross, and tired. But he didn't stop once for a break. Well, maybe once; for a drink. Abel was avoiding the ceiling, but he eventually got around to it, after conquering his fears, and destroyed the final colony of spiders on the ceiling. Now the dishes were the last thing to do.

He groaned and piled all the dirty pots, pans, cups, silverware, plates, and a variety of other dishes to one side of the sink. He was fascinated by the way it worked. He didn't have to hike to the well to get the water. First, there weren't any well's in the area, and also because a pump was in the sink, and the dirty water drained out into the garden. It was ingenious. He almost enjoyed washing dishes. Almost. Abel then put the dishes, furniture, clothes, curtains, and rugs away, or back in place. He made the beds, collected food for the pantry, and started a fire. Finally, he filled a pot with water, put in potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, onions, garlic, and other vegetables Dopey gave him. Abel found a bag of salt, and added a half fistful to the boiling pot. Later, he added pepper, and let it simmer. Dopey appeared again, holding a squawking chicken. Abel gulped. He hated doing this. But if they expected chicken for dinner, then he'll make it, damn it. He took the fowl by the neck, and broke it in one swift movement, wincing at the crunch of bone. He put another pot to boil, and then dipped in the chicken. He went outside and pulled off the feathers. Abel then cleaned the chicken, and chopped it into bits. He dropped the meat and bones into the soup. He had to admit, it smelled amazing. Abel smiled to himself. This was probably the most he had ever gotten done in one day. _Well of course, the Palace is twenty times larger than this. I've had to clean a whole foyer in a day, and this house is not even close to the size of that! This is nothing!_ Abel thought with a bit of pride. Abel then decided to make some bread to go with the intoxicating smelling soup. He asked Dopey where the flour was, and the blond just stared at him. He then disappeared into a shed. Abel was about to call the man a daft idiot, when Dopey returned with a large bag of brownish white powder. It was very fine.

"Oh, it's flour…" Abel blinked. Dopey grinned

"It's special" he said, and went back to gardening without another word. Abel was surprised he even spoke. Going back inside, Abel grabbed sugar, the salt, a bucket of water, and a pan. He mixed everything together, less sugar and more salt, with the most amount of flour, and more than half of water. He kneaded it, and put in in the pan, covering it with a thick lid. Digging through the hot coals, he made a small space in the fireplace to put the pan. The skilled cook then put the pan in the coals, and let the bread bake. He put everything away, and wrapped a thick blanket he had found around himself, then he sat down on one of the downy chairs, sinking in so deep it was hard to move at all. He stared up at the pristine ceiling, smiling. Abel thought that this was going to be the worse cleaning in all his life. In fact, he very much enjoyed it. Having no idea why, he dozed off, and felt good that he completed everything in one day.

---**HERE---** Abel was rudely awaken by a large body. Abel hadn't realized he fell off the chair. He yelled out in fear and wriggled to get free, his face pressed to the now clean floor, and for a moment he thought he was back in the castle, and he sobbed in fear. The voice that came form the weight above him told him otherwise.

"You did a good cob…slob…job, parasite. Now you can do one other thing for bee…uh see…me…" Dock hissed in Abel's ear. Abel squirmed more.

"Get off of me!" he shouted, and he writhed violently. Dock grabbed Abel's wrists and pulled his arms back behind him. Abel froze instantly.

"Ow…that hurts…stop…" Abel pleaded, and Dock twisted his arm further.

"D-don't m-move or m-make a s-sound." Dock growled. Abel did as he was told, fearing that his shoulder would get dislocated or something. He knew it was completely useless to fight against the beast of a man. Abel knew that he was too weak compared to the mass of muscles that sat on his back. He bit his lips, trying not to scream in frustration. He gasped as Dock's lips pressed against the back of his neck.

"Y-you smell like you've been working hard…p-parasite" Dock whispered lowly in Abel's ear. Able shifted slightly at the uncomfortable feeling, and was rewarded with a sharp tug to his arm. He cried out.

"I said don't move" Dock said. Abel noted that Dock no longer had his strange stutter at this point. He didn't care as to why…he just wanted out! Dock began to pet, touch, and rub Abel all over. Large tears weld up in his eyes, and he whispered out a plea for the man to stop. Dock laughed.

"Oh no, I'm way too far now to stop" Dock said huskily. Abel winced as the larger mans other hand traveled under his shirt. Dock suddenly had Abel on his knees, the boy's arm still held captive by the very aroused man behind him. The other hand then traveled around Abel's chest, and began to rub the boys nipples. Abel sobbed. Dock ripped Abel's shirt off, and attacked the boys neck. Abel gasped in fear, and tried to pull away again. Dock didn't bother with the arm anymore. In fact, he let it go. The man had his thick arm wrapped around Abel's waist, the other hand now going downwards.

"Cooperate, and it might even feel good" Dock panted. Abel closed his eyes. _No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-NO! Not AGAIN!!_ Was all he could think. Dock was slowly pulling Abel's trousers down. Another sob escaped Abel.

"P-please stop…Please…" he cried. Dock didn't even bother replying. The man had Abel on hands and knees now, and was languidly rubbing his hips against the smaller boy. Abel felt tears running down his cheeks.

"No…don't…" he sobbed. Dock had taken Abel's trousers off completely. Abel felt very naked and exposed, ignoring the fact that he was. Dock nibbled Abel's ear, being tall enough to loom over the boy and do such a thing. Abel gasped loudly when a calloused hand roughly rubbed up against his manhood. Dock shifted a bit and was now pinning Abel to the floor again. Abel tried to army crawl away, but the heavy weight atop him made this impossible. Abel couldn't see what his assaulter was doing, but he knew that he was undressing. Fear, horror, disgust, and sorrow built up inside of him.

"NO!! STOP IT!!! PLEASE!!!" Abel screamed, only to be flipped over and punched violently in the gut. Abel heaved for air. It was hard enough to breath, but with Dock on top of him, and his arms pinned over his head, it was all the more difficult. Dock, his eyes nearly black with lust, grinned.

"Screaming won't help, but it does kind of get me more excited…" Dock said, bending down and biting Abel's throat. Abel froze again, a sudden instinct telling him to not move. The boy winced and cried out when teeth broke his skin. He could feel small drops of warm blood sliding down his neck. He turned his head in a futile attempt to keep Dock from his neck, but gave more access instead. Dock ravaged Abel's skin, turning it red. The man even dared to kiss Abel on the lips. It was a harsh, heartless kiss though, and it left Abel's lips bruised. Abel stopped struggling. He stopped trying to scream, or make noise. He was not enjoying this. Not at all. And when Dock flipped him over again, he just closed his eyes. _Think of something else…anything else…I wonder if my bread is done?_ Abel tried to think of anything but what Dock was doing to him. The mans hands left angry purple bruises on the boys skin, and the hickeys left were places were no one else would be able to see; all except for Abel's lips, and his bleeding neck. Abel frantically tried to shut out the world as he felt Dock make him kneel, and bend over, his only entrance now exposed. Abel tried vainly to get free one last time, when Dock positioned himself. Abel was sobbing.

"no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-not this…not again…no-no-n…" Abel chanted, holding his breath. Dock slammed inside of Abel without mercy. Abel screamed in agony as he felt himself tear. He was on his elbows, Dock's hands over Abel's wrists, holding him the position they were in with iron strength. Abel was in a chaos of pain. He felt nothing else. He hung his head, crying out when Dock moved in, and out, not taking the time for the small boy to get used to his thick length. Abel tried to focus on the river of tears that poured from his eyes, or of something good in his life. He cried harder when he realized there really was nothing good in it. That was when Dock hit a spot in him that made him see white.

"AH!" Abel arched his back, and realized this was not pain. It was a strange sense of…pleasure. Abel refused to believe it, and whenever Dock hit that spot, Abel turned it into pain.

Dock loved how tight the boy was. His strokes now fluid due to the blood that was beginning to run down the boys perfect thighs. Dock felt as if it had been too long since his last time, with a woman. And this boy was pretty enough. He felt the kid shuddering. He liked this better, in fact.

Abel was panting laboriously, fighting the pain, the pleasure, everything. He was shaking, sweating, too hot, and too cold. He felt like death. And he felt a change in his assaulters movements. He was going faster, harder, and was making more noise. Abel, just at the point of thinking this would never end, suddenly screamed louder than he ever had. Dock just came with near explosive waves, filling the boy with burning seed. The liquid ran, like the blood and mixing with it, down Abel's legs. Abel felt the agonizing pressure of the creature, the beast, who Abel could not call a man, come out. The rough, bruising hands released Abel's wrists, and the mountainous weight of Dock fell on top of the small boy. Abel went limp. He could feel his heartbeat; it was faster then it ever had been. He was taking short, labored breathes, and the last thing he wanted was to be alive. Dock rolled off of the boy, and dressed sluggishly. He lumbered up the steps, and disappeared into the bedroom. Abel covered his face with his arms, curled up, and cried.

**---HERE---**He didn't know how long he laid there, prone, silent, feeling dirty, invaded, like so many other times. He tried to figure that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't, damn it! Not then, not now! He was doing what he was told…The thought of what Dock said when they first met, how he would use Abel for things he hadn't had for a while…it struck him in the chest like a blow. How did he not think of that?! Of what he meant!? Abel crawled to his torn up clothes. He dressed as best he could. The collar was torn, which made the shirt fall over his shoulders, exposing more skin than Abel was ever comfortable showing then and now. His trousers were amazingly not ripped. Abel could barely move. Pain lanced up and down his body, not unfamiliar. The bruises were now turning an uglier color. Abel rubbed his wrists, seeing the fingerlike marks on them, and wishing he didn't have to see them. Abel managed to crawl back into the chair. He hurt to much to try and run away. Abel remembered the bread. He let the thought pass. After a few moments of sitting and feeling his mood darken all the more, Abel tried to stand and go to the stream. His first attempt resulted in him falling and crying out. He decided moving very slow, and with small steps or even crawling, would get him there fast enough. Ignoring that he was dragging himself through the resulting mess of what had happened, Abel determinedly made his way to the door. Hearing soft footsteps, he whipped around, curling up and holding his knees protectively.

"G-go away!" he shouted. Dopey stood in the doorway. His look was very sad. He came closer to Abel.

"No! Stay away!" Abel yelled, scooting away, all the while biting his lips to keep form screaming at the pain it caused him; Abel was also familiar with multiple attackers on the same day, if not the same damned hour. Dopey kept advancing. Abel slipped on blood and semen, and he fell back. He covered his face when Dopey appeared above him. He didn't feel like fighting anymore. Abel felt hands under his arms, and tensed. Dopey lifted Abel up without a bit of trouble, and held the frightened boy up.

"Come" Dopey said softly, tugging Abel's arm very gently. Able swallowed, wiping his face with a dirty sleeve. He followed, reasoning that there was nothing else to do, and nothing else that could be done to him that hadn't happened yet. Dopey lead Abel to the stream, and when Abel was staring at the clear flowing water, Dopey disappeared. Abel looked around. The blond then reappeared with a bundle of clothes and a large blanket. He held them out to Abel, who took them slowly. Dopey smiled sadly and turned away, disappearing behind the house, to the garden. Abel sighed. He might as well clean himself. He went into the freezing water, his teeth beginning to chatter only after a few seconds. Abel stripped, and threw his clothes away. He couldn't remember a time when he was innocent of what had happened. He scrubbed his skin until the water that came away was pink with blood, and he soaked for a while. When the cold was to intense to bear any longer, Abel stepped out, dried, dressing in the loose clothing Dopey had given him and wrapped up in the blanket. His skin was icy, and he saw in the water's reflection that his lips were bluish. Turning, Abel went to the garden, where Dopey was sitting on the fence. Abel limped up to the blue eyed blond, and he sat, wincing and gasping, next to Dopey on the ground. Dopey lightly touched Abel on the shoulder, who flinched slightly. Abel grabbed his knees and sat there, staring at the forest, thinking of nothing. A thought occurred to him then. Why didn't Dopey stop Dock? Why didn't he help?

"Dopey…w-why didn't you help m-me?" Abel asked quietly, the cold not being the only reason he was stuttering. Dopey stared down at Abel.

"Didn't know. Off collecting honey…I'm sorry…" Dopey whispered. Abel looked at Dopey harder, and knew this person would only tell the truth. That was probably why Dock attacked when he did. Abel tried not to think of it anymore, when another thought came to him, a thought that he believed would help wipe away the other one; his soup, and the bread.

"Dinner!" Abel said in dismay. Dopey smiled softly again, and pointed to himself. Abel was a little confused.

"Did you take care of it?" he asked the blond. Dopey nodded.

"Oh…t-thanks…" Abel murmured. Dopey grinned, and patted Abel on the back. He then stood up, and held out his hand to Abel. Able looked at it for a long time. It never faltered. Abel grabbed it, and was pulled up.

"Their home" Dopey whispered, and he left Abel to stare after him. The boy followed slowly soon after.

Abel could hear the singing voices of the five men who left for hunting. It was a hunting tune, with strange versus:

"Track em up and shoot em down,

A good day's killin' and I won't frown!

Deer or bear or jackrabbit

Its hard to break, my fun habit!

How 'bout bird an' tasty fowl?

Light or dark meat…veggies are foul!

Meat for today, and meat for the morrow,

A rainy day does bring great sorrow!

Use club or axe or sword or bow,

It don't matter, just go with the flow!

What do we love? HUNTING!!!! HUNTING!!!

What do we eat? MEAT!!! MEAT!!!

And what of the furs? KEEP EM!!! KEEP EM!!!

What did we catch? ELK!!!! TURKEY!!! DEER!!! BEAR!!!!"

And the song ended with the bellowing of the animals they had caught. Abel was amazed at what they brought home, and how they brought it. Sleepy and Bashful dragged a bear between them, Grumpy had a buck draped over his shoulders, and Happy was helping Sneezy drag the elk and turkey. Abel disappeared inside and checked on the soup, going as fast as he could without making it hurt all the more, which turned out to be a very slow hobble. The soup was perfectly done, and the bread lay on the set table, sliced and steaming. It was fluffy and larger than any bread he had made.

"Wha?" Abel stepped up to the loaf. It was like a pillow. Abel took a piece and bit into it. It seemed to melt in his mouth. _This is amazing! _Abel thought with a glow of pride. He heard the door open, and he startled away from the table, noisily knocking into a chair. Abel flinched and cried out as softly as he could. He saw Grumpy standing in the doorway, looking awed.

"I bet money that it would take you at least two weeks too finish this…and it's all done!" Grumpy said. Abel scratched his head in slight embarrassment, and looked away when the silver haired man smirked at him. The look didn't last. Grumpy noticed that Abel was practically cowering in the corner of the kitchen, not looking at anyone. He saw the bruises from where he stood, and the still slightly bleeding wounds on his neck. He knew who did this.

"DOCK!!!! GET YOUR SORRY ASS DOWN HERE!!!!" Grumpy bellowed up at the ceiling. A loud racket came from the bedrooms, and the door swung open.

"WHAT?!?!?!" he nearly screamed down. The look on Grumpy was terrifying.

"Our little slave looks a little ill and used…why?!" Grumpy hissed at Dock. Dock looked sheepish.

"I only played with him a fiddle…eh-heh…little…" Dock said. Grumpy shot up the stairs and yanked Dock down the stairs. Dock shouted and fell, landing heavily.

"What the duck…cluck…fuck!?" Dock yelled. Grumpy jumped to the ground and let fists fly. Dock fell back and covered his face.

"I yield! I'm sorry! It won't happen again! I care! Flare! SWEAR!" Dock bellowed, arms up to protect his face.

"Why did you do it?!? Can't you see he doesn't have a fighting chance?!?!? I told you not to prey on the defenseless! Do I have to beat it into you!? Touch him again, and I'll flay you like a fish!" Grumpy screamed, ending his charade with a hard kick to Dock's ribs. Dock coughed and bent over double. Grumpy huffed and turned to Abel.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you too much?" Grumpy asked, suddenly much more calm and kind. Abel's eyes were wide, and his face was even paler then usual, except for his bruised lips and neck. Abel was confused. This man was the last he expected sympathy, or care, from. Grumpy didn't approach him. Then the silver haired man sniffed the air.

"I smell food…" he muttered, frowning at the ground. He looked at Abel again.

"Did you cook too?!" He asked incredulously. Abel nodded slightly. The rest of the gang appeared in the doorway.

"Grumpy, we need you to help us get the animals cleaned! Come on…mm…what's that smell!?" Happy said, sticking his head into the house, and sniffing like a dog, licking his lips. He spotted Abel. His smile lessened slightly. Abel was getting angry. Was it that obvious that he was taken advantage of!? He bit his lip, trying not to cry. Yes, it was. It was obvious the way he was standing, moving, by the bruises and his neck. He could still feel the sting of the teeth marks. Happy walked in, and came towards Abel, who held his breath. Happy was stopped by Grumpy.

"Leave him be." The silver beauty said. Happy looked at Grumpy funny, then at Dock, who was nursing his ribs still, to Abel, who was trying to hide the bruises on his wrists. Abel's eyes quickly flicked to the sitting room floor, where blood and cum was smeared on the floor. It dawned on Happy, and he left the house quickly, his face pale, and his expression horrified. For the rest of the time that it was daylight, the seven men worked on skinning the carcasses, curing the meat and skins, and disposing of the useless things, staying far away from the injured boy. Abel managed to save the turkeys heart, and any other organs, such as the liver for boiling and having for tomorrow. Abel knew that there was washing to be done, so he boiled water for baths, though he was only able to carry small buckets of water, so it took a while to fill the basin outside. _I have to clean the mess in the sitting room._ Abel thought with disgust. After the last ray of sun disappeared, and the only light came from the fireplace and torches, the men came in; dirty, tired, and making a mess on Abel's clean floor.

"STOP!!!" he yelled in dismay. Abel had decided that what had happened that evening had never happened, and so he was acting like it never did. Everyone froze. Looks of confusion met Abel's stern face, and he pointed to the floor.

"Take off your boots right now, and your dirty clothes! Go get washed, or you will get no dinner! I'll get you changes of clothes. The trough outside has warm water in it. Wait any longer, and it'll get cold. Now get!" Abel said as lightly as he could, trying to smile. Grumpy knew how hard the kid was trying to get over his traumatizing ordeal. He didn't want to act all kind and gentle though.

"Why should we?" he sneered. Happy cuffed Grumpy and dragged the group back outside. Happy stared at the large water trough. Steam was rising from it. The bar of soap lay on the rim, and a cloth draped over the trough too. Abel appeared with a mass of clothes, and he gave them to Bashful, who looked away and glowed bright red even in the dark. Happy grinned and shook his head. The kid really knew what he was doing. He stepped up to the water, and looked into it.

"Well, it's either now, or wait till it's colder than the heart of the North!" he said cheerfully, and he stripped, washed, and dressed. The others followed suit. Grumpy didn't want to do what anyone said, and voiced this.

"I don't want to bathe! The next thing you know, that boy is going to be dressing you up in ribbons and perfume!" Grumpy snarled. Happy looked at the rest of the group. They all grinned. Except for Dock. He was already inside, sitting at the table, with Abel as far away from his as possible, making it look as natural as possible. The ones who were still outside shrugged, and began whistling.

"Don't start that…I know your up to something…don't touch m-" Grumpy didn't finish. In one swoop, the gang had tackled Grumpy, and thrown him in the trough.

"Don't touch me! Let me go! Damn it…!" Grumpy made attempts to flee from the water and the hands. He was stripped, bathed, and dressed. Happy laughed madly as he brushed Grumpy's hair and tied bows in it with ribbon he had found. Abel watched from a window, not really amused.

"Look now! Ain't he so pretty?!" Happy chuckled, and was rewarded with a sound punch. Happy fell down laughing. Abel could feel his face twitch. It was a little amusing…Grumpy twirled around, swinging his fists. He had intended to look all cool and rebellious, but this was what happened! He was humiliated, but he did not show it. Abel decided it was enough.

"FOOD!!!" he shouted. The men all cheered, except Grumpy, and stampeded inside. It was a mad scramble for bowls and the bread. Abel rolled his eyes as the animalistic behavior.

"HALT!" he commanded. Once again, everyone froze. He looked at all of them except Dock.

"Sit down, and set the table up again." Abel said with command. Everyone did as they were told, not used to being commanded as thus.

"I'll serve you. Just stay calm. Don't spill anything either…make the mess, clean it!" Abel said as forcibly as he could. Grumpy scowled.

"Who made you mother? You're our slave, we can do whatever we want!" Grumpy said. Abel seemed to deflate.

"I…I suppose you're right…" he said, not looking at anyone anymore. Happy punched Grumpy on the arm.

"Oy!" he said. Grumpy felt bad for making the strong act disappear from the kid. He crossed his arms and leaned down in his seat. Everyone was waiting for Abel to start serving. Abel blushed and grabbed the bowls. He served everyone three large heaping ladles of soup, and two slices of bread. No one touched the food except Dock, until everyone else was served, including Abel. Grumpy noticed that the kid only served himself one ladle of soup, and half a piece of bread. He was about to say to him "have more" when he nodded.

"You have liquor in the tankards. Enjoy your dinner" Abel said, and he left the room with his bowl. Dock looked after him with suspicion.

"He's probably gonna plead…sleeve…leave." Dock muttered. Happy looked sharply at Dock.

"And who's fault would that be?! Just shut the hell up and eat!" Happy growled. Dock ducked his head and spooned soup into his mouth. Grumpy saw that Abel was just sitting by the fire place, slowly eating his small share of the meal, and staring into the flames. _He made it, why doesn't he get as much as us?_ Grumpy wondered. He took a chug of his beer, and took a bite of the soup. He almost fell out of his chair. It was amazing! He finished it in seconds, devouring it and the bread. Soon, everyone was drinking and laughing. All except Abel, who watched with mild interest. The day was catching up to him. His eyes felt as if bags of sand were pouring from them, and he still ached everywhere. A headache began pounding at his skull. _It feels like daggers are being sheathed into my eye sockets…_ Abel moaned in his head. The fireplace blurred, and he set his bowl down so it didn't fall and break. Then he passed out.

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How was it this time!? Longer, that's for sure…I hope some parts weren't too pathetic…review!!! It might be some time before ch. 5 is out…I still need to form the story past this point…mostly! Oh, you will be surprised by the ending, though…hopefully…heh heh heh…I almost can't wait to write it! Anyway…please keep reading my story! Thank you! Ram-Kar.


	5. Ch 5 It Starts Off Small

You know the warnings, disclaimers, and all that…boyXboy, don't like don't read, etc. blah blah. Oh, one thing though: any kind of food like recipe is NOT an actual one (unless you found it in a cookbook) so if you are possessed into making whatever our characters are making, look up the real recipe! Or you can test my random throw in the dice one, and see if it works… up to you. I wouldn't put my trust in it though…oh, and, there is going to be a bit of nasty gore…you'll see what I mean…

Hello! Chapter five is out! Whoopee! Thanks for the faves to anyone who did fave!…and thank you to those who have alerted my story!!! It makes me happeeeeeeey! XD

I would love some reviews…and spread the word! LOL. T_T anyways, there is going to be more bonding in this chap. And don't worry, Dock will behave! *motions to his form chained up in the closet* see?! X3. Plus, all the chapters are still in the being-worked-on stage, so mess ups, strange wording, and malapropisms should be expected.

P.S. the part in chap. 1 that says that Abel is the Queen's cousin is incorrect. I fixed it. Now he is her nephew…He was always meant to be that…but the family thing just never stuck itself in my head. I barely even know who MY cousins are! So if you had any confusion on Abel's family placement, it is now a little more sensible! And another point of interest. If you ever wondered why Abel's Uncle, the Queens little brother, never comes up to protect his precious nephew, the Queen had him killed for trying to run away with Abel. Thank you for reading! OH, and ANOTHER note, (yeah yeah, I know, get to the bloody story already! But this is important) I was told I spelt Dock wrong, and I realized as my dear helpful help told me this, that she was right! *slaps my head in show of my idiocy* and that is was supposed to be Doc. But we all know who we're talkin' 'bout, right? Of course. So Dock will now be the place where boats are sent off into the wild world of water! T_T forgive my impudence (and laziness, cause I ain't changing it now)

* * *

Ch. 5. It Starts Off Small…

When Abel woke up, he was tucked comfortably in the plush chair, sunk in it like it was a crib made just for him, with a blanket draped over him. He sighed in content, and snuggled deeper into the chair, pulling the edges of the green blanket closer to him. And that was when he remembered yesterday. Abel flew out of the chair, which took no small amount of struggling, and looked wildly about, the blanket crumpling to the floor. He saw no one. Abel breathed a sigh of relief, and winced at the still aching pain all over his body. At that moment, he didn't want to see even Dopey. But Abel pushed the memory to the back of his mind for the time being; he'd suffer later.

The boy finger combed his ebony hair, and began gathering things to start the fire, wincing whenever he moved a certain way. When he lifted his arm to grab the small flint rocks on the mantle above the fireplace, his sleeves gently slid up his arm, and Abel saw the terrible bruises on his wrists and arms. He bit his lip and held his breath to keep a sob from escaping. Looking away, he tried killing the memories, deciding that he will not pay attention to his own physical appearance. He snatched the flint angrily, and struck it as harshly as he could, the sputtering sparks the friction caused only slightly satisfying. After starting the fire in the kitchen, he stalked outside, still tired and heavy as lead. Abel spotted a chicken coop, _which_ _had to have obviously been out there, because it's not like they caught a wild chicken yesterday!_ Abel reasoned to himself, and he started towards it, with a slight limp. As he got closer, he could hear the soft clucks and chirps that the chickens made in their early morning rise. He lifted the iron latch, and swung the door open slowly, the stench of the coop making him reel back and gag. The chickens fluttered about, only mildly distressed. Abel held his breath, and went inside.

The boy gathered the wealthy amount of eggs, and came out, gasping for clean air. _Guess that's the next thing to clean…_he thought with disgust. He can deal with pig-sty houses, because people had the human decency to NOT take shits in their houses; most of the time. Chickens and other animals were a whole new story. Abel deposited the eggs into the kitchen, and went to the cellar. Opening up the trap door, Abel went down the creaky wooden stairs, a small candle lit for a bit of light. The air down there was fusty, and Abel wrinkled his nose in distaste. He had learned the other day that this was where the men stored their meat, milk, cheese, butter, vegetables, eggs, and anything else that needed to stay dry and cool; in an underground stock room. Deciding to explore before finishing his mission, Abel went around, looking at labels, and poking strange fuzzy things with a stick he had found. Abel noticed a keg of a strong alcohol he didn't recognize the name of. When he opened the lid to see if he could identify it, the strength of the smell nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Wow, that'll blow your brains out…" he said with astonishment. Looking furtively around, Abel decided to taste it, and when he saw no one, he stuck his thin index finger in the amber liquid and stuck it in his mouth. He scrunched up his face, and held his breath, then coughed loudly and hacked a few times, pounding his chest. He whimpered quietly as the jolting made his body flare up in pain.

"Holy _h_e_ll_." Abel wheezed and he put the lid on its rightful place. He explored the cold underground room more. He discovered that to the far back, across the trap door stairs was another room. In it, to the left, were huge barrels. Abel lifted the lids to all of them, curious as to what the contents would be. In one, he found cucumbers in a bitter sour liquid. He remembered that they were called pickles. _Why is it that things like eggs that are pickled are called pickled eggs, while a freaking cucumber that is pickled is just called a pickle?!_ Abel inquired to himself, still wondering what logic this held. The others held similar pickled things; one he didn't even want to know. Huge kegs that were supported off the ground by a network of logs occupied the space to the right, and they contained a variety of liquors, the stops just at chest level for the short Abel.

At the back of this room, shoved up against the earthen walls, were a row of seven chests, locked and secured. All except one. Abel felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of getting into something that he knew by the looks of the chests, were not meant to be gone through. And the one chest that was not fully secure beckoned to him like honey roasted almonds with a cup of rosehip tea and a month of total relaxation; no strings attached.

Going up to the chest, he moved away the heavy chains as quietly as possible, the links making soft clinking noises, and lifted the heavy creaky lid, putting the candle in his hand over the trove to illuminate the inside. The surprise it held was a cache of glittering jewels. He saw a delightful collection of blue, clear, red, purple, amber, green, and multi-colored stones, all sparkling in the small flames' light. Abel stared at it for a long time, the mystic splendor holding him in wonderment. (AN: I know this is a bad spot to put a note, but I had to comment on the epicness of that sentence.) _Where in the devil's good world did they get this?!_ He wondered in awe. He wanted to touch it…He reached his hand in, and gently brushed his fingers over a silky smooth opal, the only one of its kind in the chest. He even dared to pick it up. Slowly he straightened up from his bent over position as to not aggravate certain muscles in his lower body, and examined it. The color was heartbreakingly beautiful, and it was in a naturally near perfect, smooth oval, in excellent condition. It fit snuggly in the small cup of his palm like it belonged there. (AN: forgive the unlikely size, I realized that opal doesn't come in such a massive size ^^') The colors varied widely in a base of pearly white from sea green and a vibrant lime, to sky blue, rosy pink, light purple, red, orange, yellow, and shining amber and a darker, brighter pink. The patterns it made were a breathtaking array of fire like swirls. The stone looked as if it held a universe in itself, emanating light as the colors reflected the gentle candle light, and the pearl color was gently translucent.

"These don't even come from around here…" Abel thought out loud. A soft cough made Abel squeak in terror and turn as fast as a whirlwind, though the toll it took on the pain factor made Abel regret it. Dopey stood there, curious as to what Abel was doing. When Dopey looked down at Abel's hand, his expression changed to mild amusement. Abel held his hand out quickly, offering to give it back. Staring at it for a few seconds, Abel realized he really didn't want to. Even if was a bit childish, this gem had taken his heart, and he really wanted it. He'd never had a desire to keep any kind of treasure, but this called to him like nothing else.

"I-I'm sorry! It was open, I was only curious. I wasn't going to take anything either…" Abel stammered, afraid of what was to come next, which was a bad punishment. Dopey took the stone with a compassionate grin on his face. The look made Abel realize he was not going to get beaten to a pulp by daring to touch the man's treasure.

The blond could see in Abel's eyes that the boy longed for it. Dopey put the stone in his pocket, and motioned for Abel to follow, which he did. The blond led Abel out of the cold store room, but not before pausing to let Abel grab a thick slab of ham, ingredients such as milk, butter, the flour, and salt, a few links of sausage, a large bag of plump, luscious strawberries, and a small wooden box of black aromatic powder. Abel asked Dopey what it was, and the blond answered like he always did, with one word.

"Coffee."

When the two came up, Grumpy was stumbling down the stairs, rubbing his eyes, his silver hair in wild disarray. He spotted Dopey and Abel, and he smirked.

"And what have you two been up to?" Grumpy asked in a seemingly casual way, but the man felt a twinge of anger and jealousy, which he snuffed out quickly. Abel glared and responded after a few seconds of silence.

"I went down to the cellar to get some food stuffs for breakfast." Abel said truthfully. A worried look flashed in Grumpy's eyes before disappearing. The silver haired man glanced at Dopey, slight suspicion in his gaze. Dopey shook his head slightly, discreetly telling Grumpy that Abel didn't take anything. Abel missed it all.

"And what's for breakfast?" Grumpy inquired after the millisecond distraction. Abel smiled.

"Eggs, ham, sausage, biscuits and strawberries." he replied almost instantly. Grumpy smiled widely.

"Sounds great! When's it gonna be done?" Happy shouted loudly, appearing from the bedroom door and barreling through Grumpy, stopping any response Grumpy might have started, and leapt from the stairs. His movement nearly knocked over the annoyed Grumpy, who grabbed Happy's collar and tugged it meanly. Happy choked and stepped back to keep from strangling himself.

"Watch it, idiot!" Grumpy snarled. Happy shrugged out of Grumpy's grip, and pouted as if he were completely innocent.

"Oops" he said, then grinned and bounced up to Abel, who stepped back quickly, and gasped ever so softly. Happy seemed to pay no heed.

"So, answer me! When's it gonna be done!?" Happy asked again. Abel nibbled his lip, nervous with how close Happy was getting, and wincing at the pain that the chair his rump was pressed against was giving him. Dopey gently pushed Happy back a bit. Abel flashed a look at the blond, and it held quite a bit of gratitude. Happy ignored this, and he turned to go outside, his seemingly permanent grin plastered to his face.

"I'm off to clean up! Come on everybody, we might as well get out of our cook's way!" Happy said, and he marched out the door. All the others except Sneezy went out, having shuffled out of the bedroom minutes before. Sneezy came up to Abel, a fidgety expression on his face.

"What is it?" Abel asked. He felt a little alone now that Dopey had left his side, but he dismissed the feeling. Sneezy almost blushed.

"Uh, I was just…um…wondering of you wouldn't mind some….er…help? With…cooking?" Sneezy mumbled. Abel smiled, the expression reaching his eyes, making it seem like he was very happy indeed.

"Of course!" Abel said, and he turned back into the kitchen. He set his load on the table, and motioned for Sneezy to come over. The man did as he was bid, coming closer. He looked down at the array of things on the table.

"What are we going to do?" Sneezy asked politely. Abel handed the man a bowl and spoon.

"Put six cups of the flour into that. Then get three very large spoonfuls of butter and a few dashes of salt. Crush it up until it's a bit crumbly." Abel said, handing the listed things off.

"When you're done with that, add two cups and a half of milk, stirring really well. If it's still a bit thick with the flour, add more milk. If you find that you added too much milk, just add a bit more flour" Abel rattled on, giving instructions to a scared looking Sneezy as he did his own things. Abel realized the man wasn't doing anything, and paused in his work. In fact, he looked rather petrified and frozen to where he was currently standing.

"Well, what's holding you? What's the matter?" Abel asked. Sneezy gave Abel a look that screamed self defeat.

"Are you worried you're going to mess up?" Abel guessed. Sneezy blushed and nodded. Abel laughed.

"If you need help, just ask. You got a pretty simple job. At least we're not making a pie…" Abel said cheerfully. Sneezy paled, and nodded.

"Alright!" he mumbled, a determined aura coming over him. Abel nodded in satisfaction, and returned to frying the ham and sausage in a skillet. He watched in mild amusement as Sneezy took painfully accurate measures of flour, butter, salt, and milk, mixing them all as instructed. Sneezy had a violent fit of sneezing when he accidentally caused the flour to explode in a flurry of white clouds, and Abel jumped in to save the food. When all was well again, Sneezy still looked worried, but Abel figured that if he didn't give him the chance to mess up, and then explain what went wrong, the man would never learn. When the meat was done, Abel put it in a clay dish with a lid, and placed it in the coals. Next, he fried the eggs in some of the ham and sausage grease. After they finished, he put them in the dish with the meat, and checked Sneezy's progress. He was just adding another small scoop of flour. Abel noticed that it was now too floury again.

"Wait, stop." Abel said. Sneezy froze instantly, his face an etching of terror. Abel laughed.

"Here, I'll add what you need. Then you mix. Don't do it for to long though, or the biscuits will end up hard and gross." Abel said, gently taking the flour and milk from Sneezy's prone hands. He added more milk, and told Sneezy to start mixing. When they had finally finished, the black haired grey eyed man looked very pleased with himself, though he wasn't much of a pleasing sight. Abel tried not to snort out in laughter at the appearance of Sneezy. He was covered in flour, and has a butter-grease stain along his trousers. Even his hair suffered a light powdering of white.

After they went out to dust each other off, the two sat down (Abel doing so gingerly) with a cup of hot coffee. Abel took a sip of his drink, and discovered he liked the strong, wild taste of it.

"So, why did you want to help?" Abel asked in mild curiosity for a topic of conversation. Sneezy turned red again.

"I love to cook. But I can't do it worth a damn! I see you can cook like a professional, and so I figure you can help me learn…" Sneezy explained quickly. Abel chuckled.

"You only need to ask. I learned from having to do it every day at the castle…" Abel said, gazing at nothing, a faraway look coming to his eyes.

"I wonder how Tipsy is?" He wondered out loud. Confusion was plastered over Sneezy's face.

"Who's Tipsy?" He inquired. Abel laughed sadly.

"He's my pet rat. I rescued him when I found him as a baby. He meant a lot to me, because he was my only real friend." Abel said, smiling at the memory of his small friend. Sneezy simply said 'oh', and dropped the subject. The smell of baking biscuits drew the other men in. All of their hair was dripping wet, and Grumpy looked a little darker than usual, probably because he was completely soaked, top to bottom.

"How dare they do it again…" Abel heard him muttering angrily, and watched as Grumpy disappeared upstairs. The rest of the crew all gathered in the kitchen, sniffing hungrily, and all grinning like they had accomplished some wicked deed.

"Almost done guys, take a seat, and I'll get you coffee" Abel said. When the thunderous sound of them all shouting 'coffee!' ended, he heard a loud thump come from upstairs, followed by a curse, and Grumpy came flying down the stairs again.

"COFFEE!!!" he nearly sparkled with joy. He threw himself in his usual spot, and eagerly awaited his cup. Abel hid his amusement and began pouring his 'masters' their drinks. In just a few moments, they were all drinking, and laughing, like they were drunk.

"Hey, Sneezy, remember that one time…?"(AN: insert whatever comes to mind…lol)

"Oh, yeah! And then Bashful totally…"

"Ha ha hah! And Grumpy face planted in that pile of…" and the conversation went on loudly. Sneezy was engrossed, and Abel laughed at the unfortunate things that happened to whoever. He left the table and checked the biscuits; they were done. Abel set the table, and served them all heaping piles of eggs, sausage, ham, and biscuits. They ate like last night; as if they were ravenous wolves. Abel took a small amount for himself, and sat on a chair a few feet away from the table. He started to really enjoy watching and listening to the rowdy group of people. Well, all but Sleepy and Dopey. Sleepy because the childish man was snoring away in his seat, his food swiftly scarfed down, and Dopey, who just never spoke more than a few words at a time. Abel began laughing at the silly stories, and adding his own words. No one really noticed his joining, and so they did not make it a big deal. Abel even learned why Dock was the way he was from snatches of stories he pieced together.

Being an orphan, and abused in the streets, he had grown mean and cold. His stutter came from being clobbered over his head over and over (or so Happy says) and he joined the gang after a few years of scraping by. The others had been a group for a long time, and were all orphans. They then became, as they were so proud to announce, the Seven Deadlies. When Abel learned this, he stopped dead, and stared in fear at them, eyes wide, and mouth slightly ajar. _The Seven Deadlies?! I thought they seemed familiar…I'm living with high class criminals!!!_ Abel thought. After a while, the others noticed his staring. Happy realized what they had said, and smiled brightly.

"Oh, don't worry, we're retired. We stole enough to keep us going for centuries!" He said, and everyone nodded and laughed. Abel still said nothing, his face a taut mask of anger and fear.

"I should have known you were the exiles…but things just got so…confusing…ugh! Why didn't you tell me from the start!?!?" Abel asked angrily. Everyone was looking at him skeptically.

"We figured you knew!" Happy said a little less enthusiastic about everything. Abel thought this over. He realized that they did have a point…_Still, I don't want to forgive them for lying!_ He thought stubbornly, even if they didn't lie in the first place. (AN: I figured I needed Abel to have a stupid, "no, I'm stupid, leave me alone, I'm stubborn" moment, please don't hate it…) With a look at Dopey, who looked a little sad at Abel's anger, the boy relaxed.

"Well, I guess you have a point…" Abel mumbled. Everyone grinned and said, "Exactly!" The cheer and happiness began to grow again, and for the rest of the breakfast meal laughter and friendly punches were shared. Abel felt more at home than ever before, and he smiled to himself to find that he really loved it here, even if he had been there for only one and a half days, and if he ignored a few events that he tried with all his soul to forget.

* * *

After the breakfast things were put away or washed accordingly, Dock, Sleepy, Bashful, and Sneezy said they had to leave for business. They all disappeared in the cellar, and came back with large money bags, stuffed to near tearing point. Abel realized that it must have been more of the treasure. Happy, Grumpy and Dopey waved goodbye to their friends, and began to work around the house and yard. Abel followed Dopey around, asking questions he really didn't expect to be answered.

"Do you have a milk cow? Any other animals?" and Dopey either nodded, or shook his head. Yes, they had a milk cow, in the barn, which was specified by a point of the blonde's hand. Yes, they did have more animals.

"What kinds?" Abel asked.

"Horses" was the simple reply. Abel was looking around at the large clearing that the men had made for their home. It was about five acres; a fence went around more than half of the perimeter. Forest surrounded the area. Massively tall trees cast their shadows on the ground at some points, and the light that streamed through the leaves was a dim greenish yellow. A big barn sat in one corner of the field to the back of the house the wood becoming withered and grey due to the years in the weather, engulfed in the previously mentioned shadows.

Another fence marked a small pasture that circled at the front of barn, its door open; Abel then saw the milking cow. It was grazing lazily in the small pasture. Near the barn was the chicken coop. On the other side of the field, Dopey's garden flourished in the summer heat and light. Dopey bee-lined to the creek with a watering can, and filled it with the cold liquid. Abel watched with mild interest as the man lovingly took care of his plants; pulling weeds here, getting a stick to help support the tomatoes there, watering some beans, and picking a huge round melon. It was stripped light green and dark green along it's longer diameter. Abel walked up to Dopey, careful not to step on the carrot plants that were scattered here and there.

"What's that called, exactly?" Abel asked. Dopey handed the massive thing to Abel, who wrapped his arms around it tightly, huffing at its extreme weight.

"Watermelon" the blond said, and he bent and began harvesting ripened vegetables and other things. By the time the sun had reached its highest point, Abel had helped Dopey harvest tomatoes, beans, carrots, potatoes, more watermelon, and garlic. Abel was dirty, and smiling, even if he ached all the more. Dopey was in a similar state. They both took the dirt ingrained harvest to the creek and rinsed them. As Abel splashed his bundle of carrots into the water, he saw a silvery flash reflected from in the water. He gasped and stared harder at the water. He noticed a flash of black, and realized it was a fish.

"Hey, Dopey! Fish! Let's catch some!" Abel shouted happily. The form darted away downstream, and Abel watched it go. Dopey grinned.

"Patience" He said. Taking his time, Dopey grabbed the potatoes and scrubbed them gently, rinsing away the filth that determinedly stuck to the skin. Abel picked up the carrots and did the same thing, taking off the stringy roots that hung from the bright orange vegetables. Abel helped the blond wash the vegetables, bundle them up, and then store them in the cellar. Abel had seen Happy and Grumpy repairing a few parts of the fence, and didn't see them for a while afterwards.

With only a few words, Dopey told Abel that they will get the fish now that they were done with the vegetables. Abel almost jumped up and down. He was going fishing! Dopey led Abel upstream and showed him a marker that was on both sides of the small river. Abel saw a net was stretched across under the surface of the water, and that a few madly thrashing creatures were caught up in it. The crash of disappointment was harsh, but overlookable, but even so, _he_ wanted to do the fishing. Abel watched the surface of the water for a while in a slight huff, only mildly transfixed by the shimmering surface rushing downstream. Dopey went up stream further and jumped across the river on natural stepping stones. He motioned for Abel to take his side of the net and pull up. Abel did as he was told. Working together, they managed to get the net onto dry ground. A large trout flopped on the ground, its gills puffing quickly in its futile attempt to keep from drowning in the air. Abel snatched it up by its gills, pulling a face that told anyone looking that it was officially the worst feeling in the universe. Abel reluctantly gathered all the other fish. Dopey replaced the net and followed Abel back into the house. Abel told Dopey to put the fish on the table, and went to the cupboard to grab a mid sized bowl, and a large cutting board.

Abel brought the objects to the table, and fetched a knife to start cleaning the fish. _This is always the worst part_ Abel thought grimly as he put a fish on the board and swiftly chopped its head off, grimacing as some blood splattered onto his face and everywhere else. He did that to the rest of them, trying to kill them as fast as possible, having a mishap only once when his hand slipped on the fish, and he only partly cut a fishes head off, its thrashing increasing, its tail making wet slapping noises on the cutting board. Gagging, Abel swiftly sliced the remaining flesh and bone that held the head in place, and the fish lay still. He felt a bit ill, but continued on with his work. Taking up the fish, he began scraping off the scales with the back of the knife, silvery flakes flying through the air, and, unfortunately, in his mouth. Spitting and sticking his tongue out, Abel wiped his face on his sleeve, trying to rid his mouth of the offending scale. Dopey laughed, then disappeared for a while, returning with his own knife. Abel felt relieved when the blond began to help. They both took up a fish and began cleaning. Abel slit down the de-scaled fishes belly, and took out its innards, looking a little green. _I can easily eat this without feeling ill, but actually doing what you have to do to get the end result is soooo gross_ Abel thought as he began filleting the fish. They worked in calm and comfortable silence. Well, as comfortable as it could get when it comes to doing the grisly job they were doing. Abel decided that he was going to roast the fish for dinner…_With some potatoes and carrots, and maybe a special strawberry drink that will be easy to make in a few hours…_ Abel got lost in his dinner preparation thoughts. Dopey tapped Abel on the shoulder, who jumped nearly a mile.

"Done" the blond said. Abel looked at the neatly placed fish on the table. He scowled at the bowl of guts and scales, the look of disgust and nausea written all over his face. The blonde noted that Abel looked a little green.

"Guess we should dispose of that…" Abel said a little queasily. He could deal with gore, but the mess of flesh the fish guts and heads made was _pretty_ gruesome. Dopey took up the bowl and took it outside. Abel didn't feel like following and seeing where the man would put the nastiness. Feeling a little better, Abel decided that washing the fish properly with water might be a good thing. He took them up and went to the stream. He washed them thoroughly and went back inside. It was lunch time, and Abel had no idea what to make. He looked out the kitchen window, and saw Dopey feeding a mass of cats. Abel made up his mind that looking out again for a while would be a bad idea. The boy went down into the cellar and grabbed a bowl full of eggs. He had come up with an idea for lunch.

* * *

The Queen threw open the heavy velvet curtains of her room. Bright sunlight filled the chamber, momentarily blinding the woman. She breathed deep and sighed happily.

"And so, today, I will look into the mirror and hear those wonderful, beautiful, gloriously victorious words!" she sang gleefully. Her room was massive; her double king sized bed took up one corner; its frame was thick mahogany wood, intricately carved in swirls and strange, otherworldly designs. A sheer canopy curtain was held aloft by a tortuous mish mash of bent boughs and branches. Her floor was a layout of ebony wood, and a fireplace dominated the wall on the opposite side of the thick fifteen foot door that was carved just as convoluted as the bed. The ceiling was high above any persons head, and a lantern hung in splendor from the peak of the dome. It was a mass of similar colored purple gems. The window in which the Queen stood in front of was a whole wall in itself, the veins of iron that held the panes of glass in place the simplest thing in the room. A small door by the bed led into a huge walk in closet that held an array of heavy, expensive dresses. Turning from the light, the Queen walked brusquely to her bed, grabbed a robe, and went up to her door. She ran her nails down one side of the door, and the carvings on its surface began to move. Swirls and tendrils spun away, and soon the whole door was writhing in a mass of shifting wood. The door began to creak and heave slowly away from the frame on one side. The Queen strode through the gap, and the door shuddered and slammed closed. All was quiet again. The Queen stalked down the halls, nearly to the point of running in her excited haste. Anyone in her way was mindlessly shoved, slapped, and elbowed out of her path. Everyone feared to be the victim of her charging. The feeling of euphoria welled up inside of the Queen. She was practically gasping in excitement. She barreled into the hall of the Mirror, and tore at the sheet she threw over the magical piece of glass, wood, gold, and silver. She gazed at the reflection of herself, not seeing the aging woman with graying black hair, the deepening wrinkles, the bony complexion, or the demented look on her face. No, she saw what she thought she looked like; a fair lady with thick raven black curls, fair, flawless skin, and dainty features that had body in them. She chuckled deeply in her throat and nearly rubbed up against the mirror.

"Mirror…Mirror…On…the….wall…" she said, her voice quivering in her attempt to keep from screaming in her ecstasy.

"WHO'S THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL!!!!"

She failed in her attempt to not scream. Her crazed voice echoed down the hall, and she was staring at the mirror impatiently as the surface began to shimmer, the reflection losing all clarity, then in the depths swirled thick, grey smoke, purple lighting making her face light up in an ethereal way, a slight breeze picking up and tossing stray hairs around her thin face. The Queens expression was taut with her expectancy, eyes wide, a small bit of spittle dribbling from the corner of her mouth, and her hair an even scarier mess of disarray. The hollow face of the Mirror faded into the center of the twirling typhoon of black and grey clouds. It had no eyes, no nose. It was almost a skull, yet more like the face of Tragedy. It was a stark white, an almost painful contrast to the black and grey that shifted behind it. Feeling like it had been forever, she cackled the question again.

"Mirror mirror on the wall whose the fairest one of all!" she said without the slightest of paused between each word. The Mirror seemed to look the Queen up and down, then it sneered in disgust at the sight of the creature before it.

"In truth, I'll tell you, and only truth. Queen, your desire to be the fairest has left you behind. Still the young boy, Abel, is the fairest one of all." it said, its voice thick, deep, and powerful. The Queen had frozen the moment it didn't say she was the fairest one of all. She straightened up, eyes wide, mouth slack, and the color of her face deepening in pure rage.

"THE FUCKING CUNT IS STILL ALIVE!?!?!" she shrieked. She began tearing at her hair, her face an ugly mask of loathing, rage, and disbelief.

"THAT BASTARD SON OF A COCKROACH! HE LIED! HE SWINDLED ME!!! IT'S A GOOD THING HE'S DEAD, OR HE'LL KNOW THAT WHAT HE GOT WAS HEAVEN!!!! I'LL TEAR ABEL APART! I'LL BOIL HIS LIVING ORGANS IN TAR!!!" she roared, and she charged from the hall of the Mirror. No one was in her way this time; they were all hiding. She barreled through the halls, in a furious fit, her hair leaving a trail. She scrambled down a long flight of stone steps. It was going down into the depths of the castle. The stone around her and the ground was getting continuously wetter, the air, continuously colder. The Queen walked quickly through the rows of jail chambers, ignoring the hollow eyed, skeletal hands pleading for water, food, anything that could be seen through the bars. She also ignored the cries, the stench, and the moans of defeat and pain. The Queen crossed a small river by a solid stone bridge. The water flowed away, she knew, towards the Forbidden Forest. After all, her castle was on a very large hill, and the lake at the top of that hill spilled down towards the woods and through her castle. She had no idea where it led off to after the Forest, but she reckoned that it would get her somewhere in good time. When she came up to a thick iron door with similar patterns on it as her bedroom door, she raked her fingers down its side. It quaked and squealed, the metal doorframe protesting to the door sliding open. The Queen squeezed through the barest of gaps, and the door clanged shut. She ended up in a dark, dank, room, much like the malodorous dungeon outside. A large cast iron cauldron sat on a stone counter, just high enough where the Queen could see into the black depths, and easily stir whatever was inside if it held something. The Queen lit the rooms' torches and began going through the large bookshelf with a passion. She pulled books out, threw the ones she found useless behind her, and kept looking. The room was small, and a vent from the top of the cauldron on the ceiling led away to who cared where. A small desk held an array of parchment, a skull, cockroaches, quills and ink, and a dusty book. A stuffed raven was perched on a small shelf that was carved into the stone wall at the back of the desk. What should have been its beady black eyes were instead small red ruby's. A tiny closet held dark, terrible things; ingredients to potions, elixirs, ethers, and incantations. The Queen let out a shriek of victory. She held a thick volume in her hands; it was the most dusty, and the most evil looking. It was leather bound in black, a fading silver seven pointed star and tree etched into the cover. She let it drop on the counter next to the cauldron, a cloud of dust rising and causing the Queen to hack. She began flipping through the pages.

"Something heartless…something so that I can tear him apart and he won't die! Then I can display him for the world to see, and NO ONE WILL EVER CALL HIM FAIR AGAIN!!! HE WILL LIVE IN SHAME FOR HOW UGLY HE WILL BE!!!" she cackled dementedly, flipping ever faster through the pages. Then a picture caught her fancy. It was an apple, with an inked in evil looking skull within it. The fancy script at the top read _**The Elixir of Eternal Sleep**_ and she grinned in the most horrible, violent way, her lips stretched thin, showing her teeth.

"Perfect…" she purred, stroking the pages.

"This will not let him feel the shame, but he will still be alive!!!" she cackled more, and began listing off the ingredients.

"The Sting of the Black Hornet, the Cries of Lives Lost, the Scream of Terror, the essence of Wolfsbane, the withered black heart of a raven…" at that, she glanced at the stuffed raven.

"I knew you would come in handy!" she laughed.

"And lastly, the dew off the Moonflower petals. Ack, I don't have that!" she cried in dismay. She huffed, and read how to mix it. She gritted her teeth and roared in fury. It took five days to make the potion, plus, she had to extract the dew from the Moonflower petals. She gathered the things she had, thankful that the Moonflower dew was the last ingredient to go in, after three days of heavy boiling.

"The only thing then, is to get something to have him eat, and he will forever sleep, never aging, never to die! He will look rotten and fetid like I'll make him look for all eternity!" and she filled the cauldron with pure water, and put the things to go in the pot in the order it said to. She started a large scorching fire, to boil the water, and then she put in the wasps sting, the cries, the screams, the small amount of emerald essence of the Wolfsbane, and the powdered heart of the raven. She stirred and cackled, her hair finally free from its bindings due to the continuous abuse. It frizzed around her head. The smoke that began curling from the concoction was poisonous and green, faces of terror and horror swirled around its depths, before being sucked up through the vent. The Queen waited for the hours prior to the dawn, then ventured out for the dew drops. She ended up being one lucky demon. She found what she needed the first time she looked. After that, she vowed not to leave that room until the elixir was done.

* * *

Abel was whipping together a mix of eggs, ham, cream, salt, and diced vegetables when Grumpy came in with a bang and proceeding to slam the door closed. Abel looked up from the large bowl in his hands, and smiled at the silver haired man. Grumpy was dirty, and covered in saw dust. His face was smeared with dirt, and a small rip on his sleeve revealed a thin strip of the older man's tanned skin. Abel wanted to chuckle at the expression the man wore. It was a giddy kind of 'drink-happy' look that wasn't really drunk. Grumpy's eyes glowed, his face shined, and he walked with a slight bounce to his step. The tall figure waltzed up to the large dining table and leaned against it a bit cockily.

"Hiya servant! What's up? Making lunch?" Grumpy asked happily, crossing his arms and looking down his nearly flawless nose at the smaller boy. Abel set the bowl down, having finished stirring the egg mixture; it slopped around in the bowl in dark, yellow and chunky ripples.

"Hello. Please don't call me servant. Yes, I am making lunch. I need your help. Go get the flour." Abel chided, and headed to the cupboard for another bowl. Grumpy blinked for a while, not doing anything.

"well, get on with it if you're hungry!" Abel sighed sternly, as if telling off a small child. Grumpy smiled wide.

"Fine fine, alright." He said, chuckling, and disappeared into the cellar. Abel remembered he needed other fresh ingredients. He walked up to the wooden trap door and lifted it.

"Oh, by the way, bring me up some more butter and milk!" He shouted down. A cheerful grunt (if grunts could sound cheerful) echoed from the depths. Abel could just see a dim candle light flickering from the inside of the cellar. Having finished telling Grumpy what he needed, Abel gathered what he believed he would need next.

Hearing the tramping steps of Grumpy's return, Abel lifted the trapdoor and held it for the tall man. Grunting a "thanks" and looking only slightly annoyed, Grumpy delivered the goods onto the table. Abel wasted no time preparing the pie crust. He measured flour, cut a small slab of butter, and added a small palm-full of salt. He took a fork and crushed the butter, flour and salt together into a lumpy mess. He then took the milk and added enough to saturate it. Grumpy watched in amazement when Abel took the rolled out crust, put it in a pie pan, poured in some of the egg mixture, and then threw it in the newly discovered brick oven in the wall. Abel had found it only a few hours ago and had started a fire, thinking that it would be a good house warmer.

"I forgot we had that" Grumpy said wistfully. Abel noticed that the man looked very relaxed, and happy. Grumpy's lips pulled into an almost smile, and his eyebrows cocked playfully.

"Anything else, your majesty?" Grumpy asked. Abel shook his head. He realized that he had been staring and blushed when he realized that Grumpy noticed it also. The onyx eyes were very mesmerizing, and when Abel looked into them, he couldn't bring himself to look away, even if it was a little embarrassing. Grumpy's expression seemed to change into one with a little more feeling in it. Without even realizing it, Abel had edged closer to Grumpy, staring at the gentle face before him. Grumpy nudged his face closer to Abel's, and nearly brushed his lips against the smaller boys. Abel jumped and stumbled backwards. His foot caught on the chair, and he pitched towards the floors. Grumpy shouted in surprise and grabbed Abel's wrist, twisting to that he landed on the ground, and Abel landed on Grumpy. Abel froze, and didn't move. Grumpy tried not to be weird, but he could smell fresh air and berries in the boy's hair, and he couldn't resist the pull of grabbing a small strand, and sniffing it. Abel shuddered and tried to get up, crying out when he realized that his muscles decided they took to much abuse for a while. He fell back down into Grumpy's lap. Grumpy tried not to sigh in wonderment when he though how perfect the boy was, if one were to ignore the temporary bruises that marred the skin. Abel was breathing hard. He was terrified, but he couldn't do ANYTHING. Grumpy then did what Abel really didn't expect. He shifted, stood up, and took Abel up with him.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to frighten you…" Grumpy said, holding Abel's shoulders, but not looking the boy in the face. Abel nodded and turned, finishing the rest of the pies in haste and sticking them in the oven, not once turning his gaze on the man. Grumpy sat in his chair, drinking water he had gotten.

"If Dock ever touches you like that again, I swear I'll kill him" Grumpy said passionately. Abel barely kept the sob from escaping his chest.

"Please stop caring….please…Not YOU" Abel said quietly. Grumpy quirked an eyebrow, looking confused.

"Why not?" he asked, honestly curious. Abel bit his lip, and frowned.

"Because you act like you're the last person to EVER care!" Abel said sadly. Grumpy nodded, looking down into his tankard.

"Yeah, but, not everyone acts how they truly are" Grumpy said, as if it was an obvious fact. Abel shook his head.

"What? No! everyone should act as they truly are, all the time! I do, I'm sure Happy does…but since I don't really know his story, I guess I can't go off and use him as an example…but…well…A friend of mine does! She behaves just as she is on the inside! You should too!" Abel said, almost furious. Grumpy's eyes widened.

"But why? It hurts to act like you are on the inside. People take advantage of you, use you, then throw you away!" Grumpy said. Abel turned away from the man, hurt and anger apparent by the frown and tears that his face held. Abel wiped at the offending drops.

"Like I was used and abused." Abel asked softly. Grumpy jumped up.

"No, that's not what I…!" Grumpy began. Abel sniffed, and waved his hand.

"The pies are done. Call whoever is here to have lunch, in." Abel said, his back to Grumpy. Grumpy stepped up to Abel, and turned him around, then hugged him.

"I know this may make you uncomfortable, but please, I'm showing you my inner me…just…take it for a few seconds, ok?" Grumpy said, sad that all he could do to try and comfort the boy was talk and embracing him. Abel sobbed, and after a few moments of stiffly taking it, he broke.

"I never was treated the way I was supposed to!" Abel wailed, hugging Grumpy back tightly.

"My aunt always treated me as vermin, making me do all the work! I never was allowed to play with anyone, I couldn't talk with anyone more than the Hunter and whoever was brave enough to ignore the Queen's demands. She even beat me when I got in her way! I was treated like a SLAVE!!!" Abel cried against Grumpy's shoulder, his tears soaking the mans shirt, who lifted a hand and began stroking Abel's hair.

"I had a RAT for a friend! A bloody RAT! Then I almost get murdered, and then something far worse than murder happens to me! Have I done something?! I don't understand!" and then a thought came to Abel. He pulled halfway from Grumpy's grip, and touched his own face.

"It's my face's fault…my appearance…" He sobbed, and Abel began scratching his face, trying to make it bleed. Grumpy grabbed Abel's hand.

"STOP! Don't do that! Don't ruin your face! I couldn't stand that…" Grumpy said. Abel looked up at Grumpy tearfully.

"Why not?! All my face has brought me was pain! And you know what?!?!?! Dock wasn't the only one!!!!" Abel screamed. He shoved Grumpy away.

"And the same person didn't just attack me once! He kept coming back! I was abused before I even knew what the gender difference was!"

"I tried to feel innocent, pure, but no matter where I go, there is always at least one person who brings back those memories! I never saw my father's face, my mother's face. I only remember the time when the first man touched me. And it never got any better."

"But maybe I should blame myself! I never once thought of destroying my face so that every person around me won't find me appealing. The one person to ever respect me was HUNTER!!!! And I KNOW HE'S DEAD!!!" Abel shouted, the tears in his eyes flowing down his cheeks in small rivers.

"And…and…I…know…he's….dead…" Abel murmured, so quiet that Grumpy could barely hear him. What he had heard tore at the mans heart, and all he wanted to do was comfort the kid. Tears of his own welled up in his eyes.

"Welcome to the house of misfits. Used, abused, and thrown away." Grumpy said gently, and he turned to give the kid some room. Abel hugged himself, and cried. He couldn't get the image of his one returning attacker out of his head. How the man caught him at the most random of times, and used him in any way he liked. And Abel couldn't do anything about it. He was allowed only the barest amount of food, and that kept him weak, so he couldn't strengthen himself up to try and defend himself. Then one day, on a particularly agonizing attack, Hunter found the returning man using Abel, and had killed him instantly. Only Hunter treated Abel as if he were a prince, and not a hand me down whore and slave. Abel wiped his face dry on his sleeves, and went to the oven. He opened the iron hatch and took out the pies. He let them cool, then sliced them, asking Grumpy if he would set the table, which he did.

"I'm so sorry" Grumpy said suddenly. Abel looked up from the sliced pies. He smiled sadly.

"No, I'm sorry, I was the one who spilled my life story at you." Abel replied firmly. Grumpy shook his head.

"No, I'm happy to have been an ear and soul to listen. No one should have to live with such horrific things by themselves." Grumpy said. Abel shrugged.

"Self sacrifice, I guess." Abel muttered. Grumpy smiled.

"Now lets cheer up and eat…" the silver haired man suggested tensely, afraid Abel would do something weird. Abel nodded, and then he smiled.

"Well, at least living here, I have some people who care!" the boy said, and he plopped down in the extra chair, and began munching on his piece of pie. Grumpy grinned and yelled out the back door for Happy and Dopey. The two charged towards the house, racing to see who would be first. Dopey was grinning and running as fast as he could, and was actually faster than Happy, who was puffing up just behind Dopey. Grumpy cheered them on, and Abel poured strawberry juice into four cups. When Dopey burst through the door, he gave a small shout of victory, and fell promptly in his chair. They all ate in cheery silence, and when they finished, Abel had help washing the dishes. Abel decided that he now had a different future from his past, which included yesterday, and he couldn't wait to live it.

* * *

* * *

About two days later…

* * *

* * *

The Queen was hunched over the burning hot cauldron, wheezing and hacking. Her arms mechanically stirred the ether, used to the days of nonstop work. She looked older than she ever had before.

"Never realized it took some of your own life essence…" she muttered dryly to her stuffed raven. Her hair was dull and white, her skin more wrinkled than a tree's bark, and her nails where terrifyingly long. Her once delicate thin eyebrows were heavy and fell over her eyes like hoods. The Queen also had moles and hairs popping up at random placed on her face, and her nose was three times its original size. She hacked again, and spat a globule of red on the ground beside her. The rooms' stench was overpowering, but she didn't notice. After all, she was the one making the stench; she not once left the room to take care of any kind of human necessity. The Queen stopped stirring.

"I suppose a few seconds of rest can't hurt…" she sighed with a crackly paper voice. She shuffled the wooden chair and sat down slowly, almost afraid to break something if she moved too fast. She hung her head, and began snoring, murmuring under her breath.

"Almost done, Abel, almost done. Soon I'll have you in my hands, and I'll ruin your life…yes, I'll ruin your whole life…" she cackled gently, never once realizing that she had already ruined his life ten times over.

* * *

Well, I did add, so I hope you don't mind reading chapter five again! (cause I also made some grammatical changes, and such!)

If any of you people think the whole story in this chapter is all confusing, reread chapter 4, and it'll make sense, cause I fixed it.

And if you don't like how it's going, suggestions would be nice….I'm a bit stuck for filler between the climax of the story, and NOW, so, have an idea, please voice it! I'm lost!!!


	6. Ch 6 It Grows Real Big

Hi readers! Been a while! I hope you like it thus far! !

So, pretty emo occurrences and learnings, huh? I didn't even know it was going to end up this way….anyway…

On with the show! XD (BTW, this is the chapter in which you have ALL been waiting for anxiously!!! I'll let you see for yourself!!!! heh heh heh)

* * *

Ch. 6. It Grows Real Big...

Charming was riding through the town, her bag stuffed with bare necessities, and her horse ready for battle. It had taken her a few days to get to this town, following what she heard about some old, retired criminals. Taking care not to trample anyone, she nudged her horse, Champion, through the crowd, keeping her other eye out for the supply shop she was seeking. When she finally saw the small shack shop, she was hot, dirty, and stringent. Not to mention really miffed. She dismounted and strode to the stand, eyebrows drawn, and lips pinched in her annoyance. The man in the stand was bartering with a tall, sleepy man. He was flanked by a plain boulder of another man, a man who had an eternal blush on his cheeks, and a man who looked like he was about to sneeze his brains out. She waited, more impatient than ever before, and listened in on the two men beside the barterer.

"I wonder wuh--wuh--WAH CHU-!!!!" the sneezy looking one was kept from losing a lung by the boulder man, who was plugging the smaller man's nose.

"Thanks…I wonder what the kid is up to?" the sneezer wondered out loud, idly wiping his running eyes and nose. The boulder man smirked evilly.

"I get…let…bet Grumpy is havin' his wicked way with that boy right now!" He stuttered funnily, and Charming frowned at his obvious retarded-ness. She felt bad for the poor fools who had little mind power, or were born ugly. Which was why she donated to the cause of housing and feeding them…but she didn't feel like thinking about it. The sneezer said something interesting.

"You shut up, bastard! The kid is really nice! But now he won't ever trust us…Poor Abel. I hope you never get laid again!" the sneezer had said. The blushing one nodded in total agreement. Charming started. Abel! She went to go up and ask them what they knew, and then thought better of it. He was obviously at their place…and when she thought of what Boulder Man had said, she almost cried. The poor boy probably never had a normal day in his life, and now it was probably even worse. She looked up to examine the people better, when she realized they were done and gone.

"Fuck!" she shouted, and people around her started at the girls' harsh language. She leapt onto Champions back, and left the city as fast as she could. She now had a solid lead…she just couldn't let them get away!

* * *

Abel stretched. That night, they had had a party for no reason. The men who had left brought back loads of flour, salt, sugar, and cloth. Abel was told to sew new clothes, and he worked for the past day on outfits. But last night…He sighed in happiness.

Abel was sitting in the living room closest to the fire pit. The strange instrument in the corner was occupied by Grumpy, who was pounding away at it. It was a strange form of organ, and it emitted beautiful flute noises. The other men were singing raucously to the music, and drinking heavily. They even danced. Abel had never had so much fun in his life. He even tried playing the instrument when everyone was smashed drunk. They all thought he did wonderful…but he knew he was rotten at it. And then everyone passed out in random places…on the couch, in the fluffy chair, over the organ, on the dining room table. Abel decided to slink back upstairs to his corner to sleep.

And Abel had woken up in a soft bed. He swung out of the bed and stood up, yawning.

"Sleep well?" asked a familiar voice. It was Grumpy. Abel flushed in embarrassment. He didn't know why, but he had hung out with the dangerously gorgeous man for the past three days, and he was starting to feel fluttery and nice when Grumpy was around. It was unnerving, but pleasant at the same time.

"um…yeah…I did." Abel said, looking down at the floor. Grumpy grinned.

"Good. There are six people who are suffering from hangovers as bad as getting your head stepped on by a horse, and they need food and coffee to chase that horse away." Grumpy said, and he turned and left. He was blushing himself. What was with him?! The kid looked so cute and adorably innocent in the night gown he was wearing. He left the house to wash up. After a few minutes, he heard Abel begin his usual cooking ritual. Start the fire, cook the meat, cook the eggs, and boil the water for coffee. He smiled.

"Such a perfect house wife…" Grumpy sighed out loud. When he realized what he just said, his eyes widened and he dunked his head in the fresh cold water.

"How stupid!" He muttered when he came up. Grumpy thought about Abel some more…How the kid looked at him with a new light in his eyes, almost adoringly, how he seemed to secretly treat Grumpy with special attention. Not even Dopey got that much attention, which tickled Grumpy to death. He grinned.

"Ha, he loves me more!" he said under his breath. He heard Abel calling softly that breakfast was ready. Groans and angry mutters greeted his beckoning. The food smelled great, and Grumpy was ravenous. He came inside and plunked in his seat, looking condescendingly at his colleagues who were all grumbling and dragging themselves slowly to the table. Dopey was also in his seat, looking worse for wear, but not totally bedraggled. Abel had the table set, and was serving the plates up. Grumpy had a sudden, almost desperate urge to sweep the boy into his embrace and kiss him. Grumpy came so close that his arm was practically wrapped around Abel's waist, when he realized what he was doing, and, in near horror, whipped his arm back to himself, causing whiplash in his shoulder. Abel had seen movement, and was looking at Grumpy quizzically. Grumpy waved his arms about as if stretching, feeling like a complete idiot. Abel smiled and returned to serving up heaps of eggs, bacon, and toasted bread.

Abel was happy, but also bummed. It looked like Grumpy was about to hug him, and for some reason, that was one thing he really, really wanted; except Grumpy didn't hug him. Almost everyone was finally slumped in their chairs.

"Good morning everyone! Eat, enjoy, and I hope your hangovers get better!" Abel said cheerfully, and he scooped up a big portion for himself, and sat down. Everyone besides Grumpy had red eyes, heavy lids, and foul expressions.

"Damned headache…" Happy groaned. He didn't look happy one bit that morning. Abel was glad that it was because of booze that had this person was upset, and not him. Dock was just eating slowly, and chugging his coffee. Sleepy was absent still, and Sneezy was snoring softly at the table. Bashful was missing also…Abel finished quickly and went to look for them.

"Have you seen Bashful or Sleepy?" Abel asked Grumpy, who was chewing happily on his bacon.

"I wouldn't go looking for 'em…" The man said, crunching the bacon and shoveling a large amount of scrambled eggs into his mouth. Abel shrugged. He might as well go and find out where they were…he turned looked all over upstairs, in the bedrooms, and even outside. Abel couldn't find them. He then thought of the cellar. He didn't remember seeing anyone when he went down…Oh right, he didn't. Grumpy had already gotten everything. Then it was probably the cellar. He lifted the trapdoor and went down into the damp cold depths. He had a lantern with him, and he lifted it high to illuminate the area around him. What he saw made him gasp in…horror? Disgust? Surprise? He couldn't really tell. Bashful was on the floor with a blanket under him. He was stark naked, and Sleepy was curled on top of him. Bashful was…Abel couldn't tell from here…he tiptoed closer, and saw what was around the wrists of Bashful. It was rope; tied securely to a post in the floor…Abel blanched. He was tied! What is this!!?! He went to turn and leave quickly, when Bashful's eyes popped open, then widened in surprise.

"Oh" Bashful said, and he turned crimson, tugging at the bindings around his wrist, and trying to cover himself. Abel turned quickly.

"Sorry, just wanted to tell you that breakfast was ready…bye." Abel nearly shouted, and he torpedoed out of the room.

When Abel came nearly crashing through the trap door, Grumpy was there to grab him.

"Told you not to look for 'em. That's why I got the stuff for you. So you wouldn't have to see that." Grumpy said with a slight chuckle in his tone. Abel was practically hyperventilating.

"He was tied! Why was he tied?!" Abel asked. Happy perked up.

"Man, I knew they were into the kinky stuff!" Happy laughed loudly. Abel paused.

"Kinky…?" Abel looked up at Grumpy who had a strange look in his eye. Grumpy, at that moment, was imaging himself in that situation, except Abel was the one tied up…He blushed and let Abel go, turning and walking upstairs.

"Happy, you can explain if you want…." Grumpy mumbled, trying to keep the embarrassment out of his voice. Happy frowned slightly, and then shrugged, grinning wider than ever.

"Well Abel, sometimes people like it a little…rough…" Happy went on, and Abel felt like he never needed to know those things…

* * *

"Damn it all to HELL!!!" Charming shrieked. She had put up a good chase, but never the less, she lost the trail of the four of the Seven Deadlies. She had just found another lead, when her horse Champion crashed through brambles and left her behind.

"Champion! Get your useless hide back here!" she shouted, and the steed stopped, turned, and cantered back. She looked up, menace rolling off her gaze.

"I thought you were a smarter horse, you dumb mule. I hope you're proud" she growled, and the hefted herself up. She swung back onto Champion, and set off again at a slower pace. She would save Abel soon. She finally knew where to go. One more day, and she would be there.

"Hold on, Abel. Hold on." she sighed.

* * *

A few hours of hearing what Happy had to say about the "kinky" stuff left Abel in a dazed, strangely imaginative mood. He didn't even try to wrap his brain around the fact that people actually LIKED it like that…but he didn't mind imagining things that involved Grumpy…wait…

"WHAT?!?!?!" Abel practically shrieked out loud. Dopey looked up, his expression quizzical.

"Um…nothing…" Abel muttered, and he went into the house. He found Grumpy sitting in the puffy living room chair, reading a thick leather bound book.

"What are you reading?" Abel asked, looking at the symbols and squiggles on the paper. Being brought up as a slave like servant left Abel unable to read or write. Of course, the female cook once tried to teach Abel, but the Queen had caught drift of it and warned the cook off; the warning involved a guillotine. Grumpy looked up from his read.

"Oh, it's 'The Odyssey'" Grumpy said, and Abel blinked at Grumpy. Grumpy examined Abel's face. The boy's expression looked a little envious, and his gaze was on the book. A thought came to mind.

"Can't you read?" Grumpy asked. After all, the boy was a prince, and one would think that reading would be a part of the basics of prince training. Then again, Abel was treated like a slave, and Grumpy couldn't think of a single slave that had been purposefully taught to read, or write. He saw Abel flush, and felt sorry for asking.

"Uh…no, I erm…can't read." Abel said, keeping his eyes averted from Grumpy's face.

"Well, let me teach you!" Grumpy said. Abel lit up like the night sky full of stars and a full moon.

"Oh please, I would LOVE that!!" Abel exclaimed excitedly. Grumpy smirked. He could totally wrap this kid around his finger. He stopped smiling; but I don't want to… Grumpy thought. He closed the book.

"Come with me, I know the perfect place to teach people reading!" Grumpy said, and he gently took Abel's wrist and tugged him along, out the house, and toward the barn. Abel followed happily. I don't know where we're going, and I really don't care! As long as it's with him…Abel sighed in his head. Abel was ecstatic. He was going to be taught to read! Then he and Grumpy could curl up and read together in front of the fireplace and! Coughing at his foolish daydreams and silly wishing, Abel wanted to smack himself dead.

"That will never happen…" Abel whispered under his breath. Grumpy turned.

"What?" the man asked and he looked all shiny and happy, like he was the one getting the treat. Abel gave a fake grin.

"Nothing, nothing, just thought of something" Abel lied, and he shrugged his arm out of Grumpy's grip. Grumpy's lips stretched out in a joyous grin, and he hurried ahead, past the barn. Through the woods, and across small creeks, Abel and Grumpy were silent in a cheerful, content sort of way. Abel would never get sick of hearing the creatures of the forest go about their daily business. He explored and poked, nudged strange things with his toes and nearly caught a large green snake. Grumpy would never get sick of watching the kid fumble around, acting like, well, a kid, and having blissful, innocent fun. Grumpy spotted their destination, and was almost sad that he had to tell Abel to

"Get down from the tree and get over here!"

Abel obliged and scrambled out of the tree, swift as a squirrel. Grumpy was impressed at his agility. Smiling, Grumpy advanced toward Abel slowly. Abel was unaware of the approach, because he had seen a great eagle pass overhead.

"Abel" Grumpy said softly. Abel looked down from the sky at Grumpy, and looked a little nervous at his coming his way.

"Yeah?" Abel asked, and he realized that he wasn't nervous because Grumpy was coming at him in a threatening way. He was nervous because all he wanted to do at that moment was throw himself at Grumpy and tell him to do wicked things to him. Managing to keep himself firmly on his feet, Abel watched Grumpy glide towards him. Grumpy's eyes sparkled, and his hair shined in the afternoon sunlight. He was a beautiful, almost feline like creature, that was for sure.

"Close your eyes, Abel." Grumpy said, and Abel would swear his soul to the devil that it sounded sexy, and intentionally seductive.

"This is a secret place only I know of. You'll be glad you closed your eyes when coming in…it's the most beautiful place you will ever see!" Grumpy said, and, after an eternity of walking slowly towards Abel, he finally reached the kid, and slid behind him.

"Can I touch you?" Grumpy asked, and it took all of Abel's will power not to nod his head and scream "Fuck yes!" Instead, Abel twitched his head in consent, and felt Grumpy's large, warm, calloused hands wrap around his face, and cover his eyes. Abel wanted to die with the wonderful sensations burning on his face and everywhere else. Then Grumpy nudged Abel with his knee.

"Now walk. Trust me, I can guide you." Grumpy whispered in Abel's ear, and the boys' heart fluttered in exhilaration at the sensation. Abel stepped forward, and let Grumpy guide him through the rest of the woods. The adrenaline that pumped through Abel's veins came from the thrill of not being able to see and still walk, and being guided by Grumpy. When Grumpy stopped and forced Abel to stop to, Abel bit his lips and a shuddering sigh escaped his mouth.

"We're here" Grump said, and he lifted his hands from Abel's face. Nearly whimpering at the loss, Abel just saved himself from turning around and jumping the man. Instead, he opened his eyes and gasped at the heartbreakingly beautiful sight before him.

A lake was set into the land, very deep if one went by the near black color of the water. The lake was surrounded by a huge valley, and the valley was surrounded by trees. The valley had tall soft grass growing in abundance, with flowers; on the far side of the lake, hills continued upwards, and a mountain rose mightily behind the trees far, far away, and Abel felt like weeping at the purity of the place. Birds flew around the edges of the water, and an eagle was swooping down to catch a fish. A small river was gently flowing into the lake, and Grumpy pointed at it.

"That is the river that comes past our place. It twists and turns within the forest, then ends here. Don't you love it?!" Grumpy said quietly, looking around in wonderment. He would never get sick of this place. Abel closed his eyes again to absorb the sunlight that shone on his face. It felt so clean, so… untouched. Opening his eyes, Abel walked slowly to the shore of the lake, and bent down. He dipped his hand into the crystal clear water, and sighed at the cool feel of it.

"How is it that the other guys don't know of this place?" Abel asked, and he splashed the water idly, gazing across the water at the mountain. Grumpy walked up beside Abel, who looked up at the man, and stared off into the distance, the slight breeze blowing his silver hair around his head, the solemn look of peace making him look like a fallen angel. Abel kept his gaze on Grumpy.

"They don't know about it, because they don't explore this way, and I never told them of it. This is my secret…" And at secret, Grumpy crouched and looked hard into Abels eyes.

"You can keep a secret, right?" Grumpy said in an almost dangerous way, and Abel nodded.

"Of course, I won't share this with even my pillow!" Abel said, and Grumpy blinked a few times, then fell over roaring with laughter.

"Y-Your PILLOW!?!?! AH HA HAHA HAHAHAHA! That's a new one! BWA HAHAHAHAHA!!! It's just too FUNNY!!!" Grumpy gasped between his fits of laughter. Abel pouted.

"What, what's wrong with that?" The boy asked, and Grumpy began wheezing.

"C-can't….b-b-breathe…UH…HUH…WUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" Abel didn't like that Grumpy was laughing at his vow to never tell a soul (or inanimate object) the location of the lake. He watched as Grumpy clutched his side, no longer making any noise, his face red and streaked with tears from laughing, and mouth wide open in an attempt to breath. Abel got a little worried.

"Um…Grumpy, are you…uh…ok?" Abel asked, and Grumpy made a gurgling noise and doubled over more.

"P-pluh-please!!!" Grumpy tried to talk, and Abel grinned.

"N-no m-more!" the man said, pounding the ground in his attempt to get oxygen to his lungs. Abel snorted.

"He's gonna die laughing cause I vowed never to tell anyone, or anything, the location or existence of the lake. Hilarious." Abel said, and watched in amazement as Grumpy laughed even harder. He was now turning purple, and looked as if he had a Charlie-horse in his gut, snot and tears pouring off his face. Abel felt a little sorry, because Grumpy did look like he was in pain. Grumpy was making strange wheezing noises, and he clawed the ground.

"Muh---muhuhahahahahaha….uh…oh….ouch….heh…make it st-stop…oh god…please…owie…huh…uhhuh…boohoo….it hurts…" Grumpy went on like that, and Abel rolled his eyes. After a while, Grumpy stopped twitching on the ground, and Abel got up from laying on his back.

"D-" Before Abel could ask if the man was done trying to kill himself with laughter, Grumpy held up a hand.

"D-don't…s-say…A word…" Grumpy said, wiping the tears from his face, and clutching his belly with the hand he'd held up. Grumpy looked a little exhausted after his fit, and Abel couldn't blame him. Grumpy crawled to the lake, looking a little dead, and dunked his face into the water. The sound of bubbling soon met Abel's ears, and he saw great rolling bubbles coming off the water. Grumpy was shaking, and Abel got a sick feeling that Grumpy was laughing again, in the water. He jumped up and pulled Grumpy out of the water. He was right. Grumpy was laughing. Abel got mad.

"Ok, I get it, ha ha. It's funny. Now are you going to teach me to read, or NOT?!?!" Abel screeched, and Grumpy stopped chuckling. His wet face and hair looked delicious, but Abel would not let that soften his tone…Grumpy sat up finally, and shook his head slowly.

"I have got the biggest headache known to mankind…" Grumpy said, blinking rapidly. Abel stood and put his hands on his hips.

"Well?!" He ground out through his teeth. Grumpy looked up.

"Alright, fine. I'm sorry…I don't even know why that was funny." Grumpy apologized, and Abel growled that it was fine.

"Ok, I know the perfect place here that we can start…" Grumpy said, and he picked himself off the ground, wiped himself off a bit, and trudged (with a slight bent forward limp) toward the only tree within the valley. It was a weeping willow, the leaves a gentle gold, the branches swaying to the breeze. Abel saw the massive rock beneath the tree, and took note that it was still in the sunlight, and looked warm and inviting. Well, as inviting as a ROCK could get. Grumpy reached the rock and clambered to the top of it. Abel began to scramble up when the older mans' hands snaked around Abels arms and tugged him up. Abel wanted to brush off the man, but he realized there was nothing to be done, so he let it happen. When the two were comfortable, Grumpy pulled out the leather-bound book and opened to the first page.

"Ok, we'll start with the alphabet, and get to words later…"

The rest of the day was spent with Grumpy and Abel close together and reading from the book (or trying to read). They looked content, and Dopey hated that fact. Abel looked so happy, so at peace with Grumpy, and the stabbing jealousy that tore through Dopey was nearly crippling. But what could he do? He only wanted the poor kid to be happy, and he looked damned happy enough. Dopey was hidden among the trees, watching the two talk, play around, and read until the sky began to change color. Dopey wanted so bad just to hold Abel and tell him that it's ok, no one will use you or hurt you anymore, I'm here to protect you. But no, Grumpy looked as if he was moving in faster, and was winning the kids' heart easily. Dopey wiped a tear from his eye, and turned away.

"At least he's happy" Dopey said softly, and he disappeared into the trees, heading back for home before Grumpy and Abel.

* * *

The horrific cackling could be heard throughout the castle, the origin all to clear. The Queen was loading a small canoe with blankets and a bushel of bright red apples. She had tucked the poisoned one amongst her robes, and had the bushel for props' sake. The Queen had finished the ether at last, and she was preparing to boat down the river. A large jagged knife lay at the bottom, and the bushel of apples sat to one side. The Queen jumped in and shoved off, her laughter bouncing off the stone walls, chilling the soul of everyone in the castle.

"Finally! At LAST!!! My sweet, delectable revenge will take root, and spread through the heart of my damned nephew! He will suffer like I do!" The Queen was muttering under her breath, and she weakly rowed the boat with the current. She was hunched over, and as filthy as a pig in its own feces. Her hair was matted, her skin was flaking, and her nails were yellow, split, and broken. Her lips were dry and in a permanent scowl, and hair grew out of random places on her face, arms, and the rest of her body. She wheezed for breath, and shuddered with frailty, her thin legs barely keeping her up. Hacking, the Queen came through the castle moat-gate, and continued down river.

"I'll have my place back in no time!" she rasped, and the night became silent as the evil witch canoed slowly with the current. Soon, the Queen reached the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and even the howling of the wolves came to an eerie halt. Clouds seemed to follow the creature as it made its way on the water, and soon, viscous lightning lit up the black sky, and ripped the silence to shreds. The creatures watching the witch bolted in horror when they saw the creature on the boat lit up. After all, with demonic eyes, fly away hair, and the face of a rotten tree, anything would be terrified of the Queen. And yet she believed that;

"Yes, I am going to be the fairest one of all! And Abel can do NOTHING TO STOP ME!!!!"

Her voice did not echo. It died with the crashing of lightning, and the whipping wind that made the trees dance as if in horror and distress.

* * *

Abel was nervous. It was after dinner, and the crew went upstairs to bed. All but Grumpy and Dopey. They were silent and sitting in the living room, and it looked as if both were determined to be the last one to leave. Abel wanted the awful silence to end, because the way they were staring each other down seemed like a wordless, motionless battle, and Abel had to watch. Dopey finally sighed and stood up. He looked Abel up and down, then nodded.

"Good night" the blonde said, and he went (and to Abel, it looked grudgingly, and in a defeated sort of way) upstairs. Abel sat up from the cozy chair, and stretched.

"I guess I should…uh…go to bed." the boy said, and he turned to head up the stairs.

"Wait…" Grumpy said, and Abel turned just a little too enthusiastically. Grumpy looked mildly surprised.

"Abel…I…" Grumpy looked stumped, and Abel wanted to urge him on, but the look on Grumpys' face was conflicted. Abel could see it; the mix of longing, nervousness, desire, and fear…yes, Grumpy had fear swimming in his eyes, and Abel wanted desperately to know what Grumpy could possibly fear. When Grumpy looked up at Abel, the kid could feel in his heart what Grumpy wanted, and it both excited and scared Abel. After years of abuse, could he finally be treated like he was loved? Like he mattered? Like the person in front of him cared so much, and would try with all his being to make him forget his past? Those things were promised in Grumpy's ebony gaze, yet Abel was terrified that it was a trick, a gimmick to make him break, and allow what has happened to him so many times before happen, but with a desire he feared would in the end shatter him like no other time before if it did turn out to be false; because this time, he wanted it so badly; to feel the silver haired man in front of him just hold him gently and speak soft, loving words in his ear. Too embrace him and love him. And when he has finally opened his heart, his body, his soul, to the one person Abel has fallen madly in…(What? Love? Could Abel truly feel that kind of emotion after so many years of pain and suffering? Abel believed he could)… would that man be the one to truly destroy him? To rip out his heart and let it bleed with the pure agony of betrayal and being used like a wench, a whore, and thrown away like all the other times? Abel shuddered, and realized that if he did consent to Grumpy, he was risking his sanity, his heart, his humanity, to the mere chance that this person, the man before him pleading for a chance, actually felt something in return. Abel felt tears well up in his eyes, and a gasping sob burst from his chest.

"Don't be like the others…please don't be like the others…Just don't be like them…" He cried, and he fell to his knees. Grumpy leapt up and scrambled to the boys side.

"What?" Grumpy whispered, and he longed to hold the poor kid and tell him it's ok, it's fine, I'm here…just cry it out. Abel sobbed more, and the tears flowed like a waterfall of confusion. Abel looked up at Grumpy, his eyes begging, pleading with his very essence, to be the one to heal him; make things really ok. Grumpy's chest constricted with the amount of emotion he saw in the boys' eyes, and he hugged Abel, long, hard, and loving.

"Don't throw me away…don't use me…Please…I…I love you…" Abel sobbed, and Grumpy froze. Abel fell silent. He said it. Now it was the time of reckoning; would Grumpy confess as well? Like his actions said he did? Or would Grumpy stand up, leave the room, and leave Abel abandoned and left wanting? Abel gasped again, and Grumpy pulled back slightly. The fear came off Abel in waves, and Grumpy wanted that emotion to go away. The man looked deep into Abel's eyes, and smiled amorously.

"Abel, that's what I was trying to say…I love you Abel. I love you so much, and I don't really even know why!" Grumpy said, and Abel lit up like a fire fueled with the passion of the sun. He flung himself at Grumpy, and cried his heart out; his fear, his worry, his past. Abel felt lighter than air; than anything that could be described. Grumpy laughed, and Abel laughed, and both fell and embraced and laughed. Grumpy then touched his perfect lips against Abel's, and Abel willingly opened his mouth him. Grumpy gently pushed his tongue into the boy's warm cavern, and ever so softly caressed Abel's tongue. Abel moaned, and shifted so that Grumpy could do it again, with better friction. Grumpy sighed and pulled Abel closer.

"Can I touch you? Can I make you feel good?" Grumpy gasped, and Abel could only nod, his eyes slits of lust filled black, a thin sheen of sweat coating his flesh. Grumpy put his hand on Abel's stomach, messaging with fluttering care, and Abel arched toward Grumpy. Then the silver haired man began to tenderly kiss and nip Abel's neck. Abel panted and turned his head, giving Grumpy better access to the sensitive skin. Grumpy's hand had moved downward. Then, suddenly, Abel was in Grumpy's arms, and the man was walking out the door as fast as he could go without jolting Abel. Abel was busy licking and biting Grumpy's neck, and Grumpy groaned in response. Soon, both were lying near the river, kissing so passionately, a succubus would be put to shame. Abel was on the bottom, and he never felt so safe in his life. Grumpy began to pull Abel's clothes off, and Abel tried to do the same to Grumpy, who shucked his clothes off in a hurry. Finally, the two were naked and touching every bit of each other. Abel felt burning flames everywhere Grumpy touched him, and Grumpy was charged with powerful electricity. Then, Grumpy did what Abel never expected. He had made his way down Abel's belly and hips, and finally reached the most sensitive part of any man. Abel cried out and bucked his hips when soft lips gently kissed the tip of his erection. Shuddering, Abel had his eyes closed and his head stretched up, his neck completely exposed. Grumpy began to fondle and suck, licking the length of Abel, who writhed and moaned loudly to the administrations. Abel felt a knot in his gut, a sharp, delicious knot that seemed like it would explode any second. He never felt like this before. It was strange and erotic…and he wanted so much more. Grumpy then did the thing that sent Abel over the edge. He ran his tongue over the slit at the boys tip; Abel sobbed and cried out loudly, nearly curling up at his waist and gasping. White exploded in front of him, and the feeling of intense pleasure swept Abel out of his senses. Grumpy captured Abel's lips and ravished him with kisses. Abel went along, and wanted to taste Grumpy forever; he tasted like honey, like his voice sounded. Abel felt the length of Grumpy pressed against him; hard, thick, and so…enthralling. Abel realized Grumpy was yet to have his release.

"Grumpy…" Abel hissed. Grumpy shook his head slightly.

"I couldn't…" Grumpy murmured haltingly, and Abel slowly ground his hips against Grumpy. The man arched and gasped, panting heavily.

"Do it…I want it…Need it…" Abel said, and Grumpy closed his eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you…" Grumpy whispered. Abel bit his lips.

"Please…Please…" Was all he could get out. He could feel flames burn through his veins again, feel his own length get hard. Grumpy looked deep into Abel's soul, and saw that indeed, this man below him wanted it, and bad. Grumpy growled, and spat on his hand.

"Relax." he grunted, and Abel did as best he could; but when Grumpy's fingers gently breached his entrance, Abel cried out, and tried to shy away. Memories were flooding back into his head: terrible images that left him sobbing, tears running down his cheeks.

"If it gets to be too much, just tell me…I'll stop…" Grumpy said between his heavy breathing, and Abel shook his head.

"Do it." Abel said, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Grumpy had added another finger, and was ever so carefully messaging the boy's muscles. Abel fought with all his heart the memories that threatened to make him scream. I won't let the past ruin this! He thought ferociously. Grumpy felt Abel relax steadily, and he decided that he was wet enough. Bringing his length to Abel's entrance, Grumpy bent over the smaller man, and kissed him deeply, plunging slowly into Abel, and letting him get used to his size. Abel was breathing so fast, Grumpy was worried. He froze.

"NO!! Keep going…move…" Abel panted, and Grumpy slowly moved; in and out. Abel angled himself slightly, wrapping his legs around Grumpy and hooking his ankles.

"Ah!! There!" Abel gasped when Grumpy brushed against a particular spot inside, and Grumpy went faster, to strike the place Abel directed him to. Abel shuddered and finally clamped the memories away. Sweat made both of them slick and slippery, the night chill barely affecting them. Abel and Grumpy moved in sync, and Abel felt like he had reached the highest point in heaven. Grumpy was heaving air into his lungs and moved faster.

"Oh…Oh GOD…" Abel shouted, and Grumpy shuddered above Abel in their shared release. Abel could feel it, the once intrusive burn turned into pulsing warmth that filled him completely and utterly. Abel shook, and went limp, exhausted from their shared experience.

"I love you…I love you so much Abel…I'm sorry I couldn't be there before…I swear I'll protect you" Grumpy was saying, and Abel hugged Grumpy fiercely.

"I love you too…I love you too…" Abel repeated over and over, and they both kissed, slowly, in a way to get to know each other. Abel let Grumpy be dominant. Grumpy nearly bruised Abel's lips in his kissing. Grumpy then pulled out, and Abel almost felt totally empty, and he desperately wanted the feeling of Grumpy back inside, but he knew he was just too tired to do it again. Grumpy fell beside Abel, and wrapped his arms around him tight. Abel snuggled into Grumpy, and they lay there, cuddling and stroking each other, looking into each other's eyes, barely blinking. Abel felt his lids begin to fall and tried to stop the sleepiness from taking over. Grumpy noticed how the kid was nodding off.

"I love you" Grumpy said, and he gently lay his lips on Abel's eyes and stood up slowly, got dressed, and gathered Abel into his arms after dressing him. He carried Abel into the house and set him on the couch. He then lay beside the boy, and snuggled close. Abel wriggled closer, and they fell asleep together, in front of the dying embers of the fireplace, the peaceful noises of the creatures lulling them both into dreamless, liquid sleep.

* * *

And so chapter six meets its end!

How was it, hmm? Yummy? Or just fail? Review please!!!! I know that I'm new at this, and not every mistake will get caught (especially since I'm SO eager to get this out there for you guys to read!!!) plus my writing technique may be a bit confusing, but, alas…what can one do?

The next chapter will be the last!

I hope you love it to death! XD

I want your personal opinions:

What do you think of Dopey and Grumpy?

Who do you think will get Abel in the end?

What about the witch Queen? Is she enough of a freak?

And Charming? Do you like her? Or is she the typical female character?

Are you reading my fanfic because you have nothing else to do, or do you actually LIKE it?

And finally, is Abel to much of a…baby, whiner, emo dummy, or what? Or is he fine with all his problems (in which I figured should be the case if he's the fairest one of all)?

Love you all!

RK


	7. Ch 7 Then Things Fall Apart

Hello readers, I hope you are prepared for the end! This will be the last chapter to an exciting adventure! I really appreciate all of your support and love! After this, I will go through all of the chapters and fix any mistakes I missed, so I will be still updating the fanfic. And now, I present to you, the final installment of, Who's the Fairest One of All?

* * *

Ch. 7. Then Things Fall Apart

Dopey plodded sleepily down the stairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was on a mission: to get a glass of cold water. Dopey stretched, twisting around so that his neck and back popped, clawing at the air just because it felt that good, then froze. He had heard a noise from the sitting room. Looking over after his delicious stretch, Dopey saw Abel and Grumpy curled together in peaceful slumber. Crushing despair and burning jealousy coursed through the blonde's veins, and then was wiped away by the expression on Abel's face; pure joyous content played at the boys lips, his eyes still and dreamless. Dopey knew horrific dreams plagued Abel's dreams every night because the blonde sometimes watched the small boy while he slept. It was fitful, his eyes tight and lips drawn in a thin line. Abel's body was usually so tense, but today, in the gentle golden morning light, Abel was relaxed and sleeping soundly against Grumpy. Dopey smiled at his sudden revelation. He wasn't going to be the one to hold Abel in his arms with the promise of love and protection. So instead, he will give Abel a different gift, even if it didn't mean nearly as much. Pawing through his pockets, Dopey pulled out the large opal that Abel had been so drawn to, and examined the work he had put into it so far. Metal twisted around the stone in intricate vines and leaves, incasing it but letting the stone shine through. Dopey had decided the day Abel found it to make it into a large pendant. If he wasn't going to make Abel happy the way Grumpy was, then he will make Abel happy some other way. After all, Happy had just finished making a bed for Abel that had a nickname carved into it; the name was Snow White, and Abel seemed to like it a lot, so Dopey could make him happy with some other object. Picking up the blanket that had fallen to the floor, Dopey covered the couple on the couch and left for his secret workshop, intent on finishing the charm that day, his feelings for Abel replaced with a more brotherly love.

Sunlight in his eyes woke Abel. He groaned and turned away, squishing his nose into a solid chest that was breathing steadily. Last night exploded back into memory and Abel leapt out of Grumpy's embrace. Grumpy continued to snore softly. Heart thumping loudly, Abel wondered if anyone else was awake, and if they had seen them together. Embarrassment at the prospect made Abel's pale cheeks burn scarlet. To hide it, the boy began to prepare breakfast. The form on the couch stirred.

"Whu…What?" Grumpy muttered, and he clambered out of the tangle of blankets and the ever engulfing couch. Spotting Abel shyly glancing at him, Grumpy grinned, blinking rapidly to wake up the rest of the way.

"Good morning, Snow White…That nick name is nice, don't you think?" he said softly, and Abel flushed.

"Oh, um, good morning." Abel replied. Grumpy straightened up, sauntered to Abel and hugged him, gently pulling the kids chin up for a loving kiss. Abel enjoyed every second, but didn't want to be caught by the others. He feared they would take his new relationship as an "ok-I'm-usable-for-anyone" sign. Grumpy stepped away a fraction of a step, and smiled.

"I'll protect you, Abel, so don't worry." he said as if reading the kids mind, and he left to wash and dress. Abel busily finished breakfast, and called everyone down. A gang of groggy sleepwalkers stumbled down the stairs. Abel realized that Dopey wasn't with them. A thrill of fear flashed in his gut. Dopey must have left before he woke up…which means Dopey would have had to have seen Abel and Grumpy. Abel suddenly felt bad. Dopey had tried so hard to make Abel happy, and was there more for him than Grumpy had been, but Abel had fallen for Grumpy instead. Feeling slightly ashamed, Abel turned and served everyone absently. The table was soon occupied, and Abel sat down. Looking up, he saw that Sneezy was staring at him.

"You know that Dopey isn't here, right?" the man asked, and Abel blushed. He had accidentally served Dopey in his absent mindedness.

"Oh, uh…oops…" Abel muttered, and he swiftly cleared Dopey's place. Grumpy came down from the bedroom, having just finished getting dressed, and when he sat down, everyone began to eat. Abel had a nagging curiosity as to where Dopey might have disappeared off to, but his thoughts were cut off by a thunderous sneeze that shook the walls. Looking up, Abel saw Dock, who sits across from Sneezy, drenched in chewed up bits of scrambled eggs. Scowling in disgust, Dock flicked egg off of his shoulder and wiped his face. Happy burst into hysterical laughter, and Grumpy howled. Abel bit his lip to hide his amusement, and saw Sneezy looking a bit chalky and fearful for his life.

"I-I'm sorry Dock…I didn't mean to!" he was saying, while Dock seemed to swell with fury. Abel decided that interrupting would be a good way to save Sneezy from a painful neck-wringing.

"Where is Dopey? Why has he skipped breakfast?" Abel asked, and everyone looked down at Abel. Happy replied first.

"Dopey has got a secret place he goes every now and then. We aren't sure where it is, but we know he isn't far away, so we don't mind. Anyway, don't get too worried, he will be back soon, I'm sure." Happy said, and Abel nodded in a distracted fashion. With his eyebrows drawn slightly in a frown, and his lips just a tad poking out, Grumpy couldn't help but grin foolishly at how cute Abel looked. Abel was mulling over the fact that it was another secret place, even though everyone knew about it. He was also thinking of Grumpy's secret place, the glade with the lake. Feeling eyes on him, Abel looked up to see Grumpy staring at him lovingly. Abel ducked his head slightly and smiled. The peaceful moment was broken by Happy loudly announcing the days' business.

"Ok, today we have to go and restock on items such as food, blankets, and other important supplies for the upcoming winter. We don't want to run out, because we are secluded during the winter, and there is no way to get to town. I need as much help as I can get, which means Grumpy, Dock, Sneezy, Bashful, and Sleepy, you guys need to come with me; we don't know when Dopey will get back, so we'll leave him. Abel, you'll be safe enough without us, since we are, like I said, secluded and no one knows we are here anyway. We should be back around evening, so don't worry about lunch for us, but do make dinner. Let's go guys!" and Happy, with everyone at his heels, disappeared outside; everyone but Grumpy. Grumpy looked disappointed.

"Man, I wanted to stay here with you…" Grumpy mumbled, his eyes cast to the side and head tilted slightly, so his platinum hair partly concealed his face. Abel smiled brightly.

"And I really want you to stay, but what Happy says is true; you have to leave. It's for the well being of our health during the winter." Abel seemed to preach. Grumpy smirked, flicking the hair out of his face with a smooth neck movement, leaving Abel slightly envious.

"Well, look at my little darling Snow White tell me what to do. Man oh man; guess I have to go now!" Grumpy said, and he hugged Abel, kissed him, and pretended to leave all childish and sad, dragging his feet and pouting. Abel shook his head and laughed.

"Silly." he called and Grumpy chuckled. Abel strolled out of the house, and watched as the gang left for town, purses heavy with gold. Returning to the kitchen, Abel washed the dishes and put them away. Then he cleaned clothes and tidied the bedroom and the rest of the house. Finished with the small tasks of the day, and without having to cook, Abel found himself with nothing to do. So he curled up in front of the fireplace after he found the book "The Odyssey" and began going over the letters and words, trying to read, and feeling good that he understood most of it.

* * *

At the castle, the goldsmith was filling in a dismal order. It was a glass and gold coffin, beautiful as well as disturbing. The goldsmith grimly shaped the frame of gold, and a glass maker was cutting sheets of crystal glass into the appropriate shapes and sizes. It took only hours for the skilled men to finish the project ordered by the Queen. It was small, enough to fit a young teenage boy, and cushioned with plush scarlet velvet where the body would lay. The artists turned from the creation with disgust. The Queen said to leave it in the Mirror Room inside a blackened circle, and so they took it there quickly to get rid of the sight. Feeling terrible, the two artists knew that the casket had some appalling destiny, and not wanting any more of it, they covered it and left, afraid of the black magic that seemed to permeate the air.

* * *

Grumpy scuffed his feet and grumbled ever so often, and it was starting to piss Happy off.

"Would you quit it!?!?" he growled, and Grumpy sneered.

"Man, I didn't even want to come!" the onyx eyed man whined, and Happy snorted.

"Shut up, and take this." Happy said, rolling his amber eyes, and Grumpy was loaded with a large basket of wheat granules.

"Mother of Nature! This is heavy as hell!" Grumpy wheezed. Sneezy chortled.

"And bat…tat…that is just the beginning." Dock stuttered. Grumpy hissed in annoyance and followed the troop through the market place. The air was heavy and laced with an electrical energy, but it didn't feel natural; in fact, just the opposite. The way the clouds seemed to ooze out of the sky and creep angrily towards the forest left many minds a-wondering. Sleepy looked up, and felt it; some sort of danger threatening something of his somewhere, and he knew instantly that they should head back. Bashful peeked up at Sleepy, head tilted up and hands clasped behind his back, slightly bent forward.

"What is it?" he whispered, and Sleepy gazed down at the bi-colored eyes peering at him questioningly. Sleepy grimaced, and Bashful blushed.

"It's not you…I just feel, wrong" Sleepy muttered back. Bashful nodded.

"I feel it too" Bashful said; worry creasing the skin between his delicate eyebrows. Bringing up a hand, Sleepy gently rubbed his thumb between Bashful's eyebrows, and smoothed them out.

"Let's tell the others. We need to hurry." Sleepy breathed in Bashful's ear, and Bashful nodded, shuddering slightly at the warm breath in his ear.

"Okay." Bashful sighed, and he turned to Happy, who seemed to watch the exchange with a strange fascination.

"This air is not right. Something is threatening our home. We need to go back soon." Bashful said, completely serious, and not even blushing at his own determination like he would have normally. Happy's eyebrows flew up in his surprise. Bashful was never this un-embarrassed. Which meant what he was saying was ominously true.

"Guys, round it up. We've gotta go." Happy said. Everyone else had noticed strange things too. People were disappearing from the streets; it was almost like a ghost town now. A queasy feeling stole up Grumpy's back.

"Yeah. Now." Grumpy said, and all of them turned to head back, sickening fear twisting at the very soul of each and every one of the men.

* * *

Charming was so close, she could feel it in her bones. That night, she had to stop for rest. It was no good going into danger as tired as the dead, so she had made camp and fell into fitful sleep, her dreams full of the horrors that could happen to Abel, her friend. When she awoke, she immediately set off again, tracking the days old path that the Seven Deadlies had left. Huffing in impatience, Charming urged her horse faster. She knew what direction to take, and she felt as if the poor boy was ever closer; but the girl also felt an ominous presence within the forest. The animal noise was at an all time low, and a storm seemed to be gathering on the horizon. The air also seemed colder, as if an evil presence was now haunting it. A slight fear bubbled up inside her, and she moved on at a faster pace, wishing to get to Abel and out of the forest as soon as possible…

* * *

The Witch Queen was wheezing down the river, the storm following with steady progress. She coughed and spat a bloody glob into the river. Shaking her head in disgust of herself, she pulled out a small phial filled with a clear liquid. She popped off the glass cap and downed the contents. Instantly she looked ten years younger; her back straightened, her hair tamed, her skin cleared, and she stopped wheezing. The Witch Queen had forgotten to take her health potion while she made the ether, and she had only just thought of it. Cracking her limbs and stretching, the Witch Queen strengthened and rowed faster. She could nearly taste the boy now. Close, so close. A throaty chuckle erupted from the Witch Queen's mouth.

"Close, so close…"

* * *

Abel shivered. The fire was low, and it looked as if a storm was brewing to the west. It had been four hours since everyone had left, and an anxious feeling was twisting his gut. For some reason, he felt as if he was in danger. Sitting up from his place on the floor, Abel put the book down and looked out the closest window. The western sky was black, and he could see occasional flashes of angry lightning, although it was too far away yet to hear the thunder. Shivering again, Abel stood up and stoked the fire back to life. He was getting worried that the gang and Dopey wouldn't be able to get back home because of the storm. Pacing in a restless fashion, Abel wrapped a blanket around his thin shoulders. Abel tried to think positive thoughts, ones like how the rain would do Dopey's garden some good, and the rest of the property, and how it would be nice just to sit in the warm house and do nothing for a while. Abel sighed. He was bored, and there was nothing much to do. Dinner was a while away yet, and he didn't feel like lunch. Dopey hadn't returned, and the house was spotless due to constant cleaning from the lack of anything to do. So Abel went outside, and furnished himself a fishing pole. Sitting at the river's edge, Abel fished the way he liked to. Soon, he was idly tugging at the line, and watching the sky turn grey with boiling clouds.

* * *

Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, Bashful, Dock, and Sneezy were swiftly making their way back home. They had seen the storm building ever faster, and they wanted to get home soon so that the goods wouldn't go bad if it rained, and to settle their roiling stomachs from the fear that crashed over them like high waves in a roaring ocean. They were half-way, and the eerie silence in the forest made dread make their steps all the faster, but all the more wary. Not far off, Charming was heading in the same direction, victory plain on her face. Finally, she can save Abel!

* * *

Dopey gently twisted the final piece of metal into a loop, creating a place for a chain, twine, or thin rope to be laced through. He held up his work. The opal glimmered in the soft candlelight, the vines and leaves spelling across the front two words: Snow White. Dopey heard Abel say how much he liked the nick name, and decided that the name suited the pendant he had made the boy. Threading a thin chain through the loop, Dopey tucked the pendant into a small wooden box, and blew out the candle. He left the small workshop and closed the door. Looking up, Dopey saw the black sky and whistled.

"This is going to be a big one!" he murmured quietly, and he began heading for home.

* * *

She couldn't believe her luck when she saw that bitch on the shore of the river, fishing. Quickly snuffing out the rage that burned her insides at the thought that he was even remotely happy (because to her, he looked pleased as punch, tugging at the pole for a massive fish that thrashed at the end of the line). The Witch Queen calmed herself, putting a disguise over herself so Abel wouldn't recognize her. She ceased in her rowing, and let the boat drift for a while. Then she pushed it to the shore and let the small iron anchor sink into the water. Abel never looked up from his fight with the fish until she started getting out. When he looked up, she wanted to throw her head back and howl her triumph. She couldn't have asked for better luck…_You're mine now, you miserable cunt!_ She thought. Looking around, she knew instantly that no one else was around. It was never harder than it was now to keep from baring her teeth in her ecstasy. _This is going to be sublime…_

* * *

Abel was too busy reeling in a big fat trout to see the boat heading his way. He was also too busy to notice the dead silence that hung over the area like the plague. It was only when the boat stopped that Abel saw it. He looked up and noticed a pleasant looking old lady heaving out of the small boat. Hurriedly dropping the fish, the boy went to help the old woman out.

"Here, let me help you…Ma'am, what are you doing here on such an ugly day?" Abel asked, and the old lady smiled. Abel was too blind to see that the smile was not pleasant in any way; it twisted the old woman's features malevolently. The Witch Queen put on an act.

"Oh, dear boy, I live far up river, with an apple orchard. I come down every so often to give the men who live here some of my best apples!" the Witch Queen said. Abel nodded.

"Oh, ok. Well, would you like to come in or anything… to get out of the storm? I can get you some water, if you want." Abel said, helping her grab a large basket of fat, bright, delicious looking apples.

"Wow, you must have a great place for those apples!" Abel exclaimed. The Witch Queen nodded.

"Indeed…"

Abel led the old lady into the house, and set her down. The Witch Queen bided her time until Abel left to fetch water. Then she took off her disguise, and drank another health potion. Her grand looks seemed to return, erasing years of ugliness. She also quickly summoned the glass casket, it appearing outside slowly; just a glimmer, then solidifying into its ghastly wholeness. When Abel returned, the breath caught in his throat when he set eyes on the Witch Queen, and he dropped the cup of water, the pool of wet spreading. He paled to a deathly white.

"No…no…no…" he whispered in horror, eyes getting wide in terror. The Witch Queen sneered.

"Hello, dear nephew" she spat, and she stood with magnificent grace from the chair he left her in. Abel backed away.

"No…s-stay…stay away!" He shrieked, and he turned to flee. The Witch Queen seemed to appear out of thin air, blocking his exit.

"Oh no you won't…You're not getting away THIS time!" she cackled, and she brought out the jagged knife from the confines of her black robes. Abel was breathing heavily, his heart thundering in his chest. He backed away again. The Witch Queen advanced. Abel stumbled, and she was on him in an instant. She gripped her nephews' wrist, and threw him against a wall. He cried out and slumped to the floor. Dazed, he crawled to one side, to find the Witch Queen standing there. He just managed to block his face from a vicious kick, but didn't see her bring the knife down. White agony seared down his arm where the blade sliced across his flesh. Abel yelled in pain and rolled away. Blood bloomed from the laceration, and he cradled his arm. Tears began to fall, and he sobbed.

"Stay away from me! Leave me alone!" he cried at her, and she sneered at him.

"No! You have taken my place as the fairest one of all! I cannot allow such a thing! I'M THE FAIREST!!! ME!!!" she screamed, and she fell on him with brutal strength.

"I should make you remember every second of that man!" she cackled. Abel struggled in her grip. She straddled his stomach, her left hand wrapped around his throat. He clawed at her hand, scoring red marks that oozed, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, that man I paid to assault you…repeatedly! I just can't believe that didn't tarnish your beauty." the Witch Queen said cruelly, angrily, and Abel froze.

"P-paid…?" He nearly squeaked, his voice small, broken, disbelieving.

"Yes, I paid him to hurt you as much as he could without killing you! I had to make you suffer for your crime! Of course, he wasn't willing to ruin your face; not yet. Then Hunter killed him. Just the thought of that wretch makes me heave!" the Witch scoffed, and Abel felt so alone at that moment…paid…paid…paid! He just couldn't bear it. Shutting his eyes, he cried softly. The Witch cackled.

"Yes, I will make you remember…every second, every moment, and every touch! I will defile your mind, and destroy your face!" she shrieked, and touched her right hand to Abel's left temple. He began to scream and writhe, his eyes rolling to expose the whites.

"NO!!! DON'T TOUCH ME! GET OFF!!" he shuddered and cried, trying to shy away from the images in his mind…he was reliving it…the pain, the stripping of his dignity…

_The man came from nowhere, as always, and threw him against a wall, where he violently beat and undressed Abel; the one thing to be said was that the man would never touch his face. Abel fought, always fought, but could never get the massive man away from him…Abel was on his back, kicking and screaming, trying as hard as he could to fight off his attacker. But it always ended the same way; getting breached suddenly and being ripped apart on the inside. The man had pinned his arms to his sides in a spread-eagled fashion, and was pounding him forcefully. Abel felt the helplessness, the terrible truth that he could do nothing, and how his innocence was torn apart. He blocked out the agony, and cried…always cried…tears…blood…PAIN. Then he would be left where the man had finished, naked, bleeding, broken. Then later that week…again, but more…three of them, and he had no chance. He was forced to put his mouth around one man's cock, and was breached at the same time by another, while the third man stood watching, enjoying it in an obvious fashion. When the two finished, forcing Abel to swallow the bitter cum, the third took his time and made sure to touch every part of Abel, to make him feel unclean…sullied…Even more so now…_

Suddenly out of the past, Abel gasped and heaved.

"Please stop…please don't…" He croaked, his voice strained from his screaming. The Witch Queen cackled. She had wormed her way through his other memories while he was occupied with the others, and she found delectable information.

"So, that's what you've been up to!" she crooned, tsking.

"You've become the Seven Deadlies' whore! I knew you were a little man slut. Nothing changed much from there to here, now, did they?" She laughed, making some of the images of Dock flash into focus. Abel sobbed.

"And that silver beauty? I can see it in his eyes. He's only after your looks. It was never for your heart, and he isn't sympathetic about you! No, not that man. He is as cold in the heart as the rest of them, cold and black like his eyes. He used you. You just blinded yourself to the truth, and pretended that he said things like 'I love you' because you're just a desperate little slut. He won't want you anymore if you don't have a pretty face…I'll make sure of that!" The Witch Queen cackled, and the words seared at Abel like nothing ever had.

"No…" he murmured roughly, denying what she said, but unable to stop thinking that she could be right. The white agony and memories flooded back with the touch of the Witch Queen's finger, and Abel no longer struggled. He lay limp, chalky, not even energy enough to shudder. His mind replayed every moment, every agony, and it felt so real…so real…even the moments with Grumpy, and yet they were distorted somehow. Grumpy looked colder, heartless…Abel couldn't bear it any longer. Searching for blackness, the heavy silence of escape, Abel wanted to beg for death. Just to make it all end. He had had enough. Too many times…Abel retreated further into his self, searching, always searching for that darkness called death…past that glimmer of hope for salvation and peace…ah! There…a black hole…wonderfully quiet, beautifully lack of everything…

The Witch Queen could sense his slipping into the void. She knew he was trying to die.

"Oh no you don't!" she snarled, and she ripped him from the darkness with cruel magic. Abel cried out.

"NO!" and he slumped again. That was when he heard the voices. The gang was back, and so was Dopey. He gasped, and felt hope flutter in his chest like a tiny moth. He thrashed, and felt a steel blade sear across his face twice.

"HELP!! HELP ME!!!" he screamed, and the Queen growled.

"None of that, now!" And he 'oofed' with a sound punch to the jaw. Abel, through the daze, saw that she was cutting up an apple as fast as she could. He was determined not to let that in his mouth. She stuffed it in his mouth, a bit of his own blood making it taste all the fouler, and he was just about to be successful on keeping it from sliding down his throat when a foreign force clutched his throat, and forced him to swallow. Coughing, Abel gasped and writhed, feeling numbness spread from his gut to his limbs almost instantly.

"What did you do…?" he whispered, barely strong enough to move his lips. The Witch Queen cackled.

"Justice be done." She stated, and forced another slice into his mouth. Abel felt a wave of nausea hit him, and he fell back against the wall. Suddenly, the weight of the Queen disappeared, and he heard her shrieking. Looking up slowly, the scene before him was strange. It looked as if it was in slow motion. Grumpy had the Witch Queen firmly in his grip, and Dopey was slicing at her throat with the knife. Abel felt nothing as the Queen gurgled and fell, dead to the floor, her life blood gushing from the wound in her neck. Blackness seemed to seep from the edges of his vision, and agony ripped his insides out, although he was much too weak to even twitch about it , and Abel knew he was about to die. He saw Grumpy turn to him like he was stuck in glue, and come at him, the horrified, pained look on his face the most precious thing Abel could remember.

"Don't cry…" He sighed, and Grumpy, tears flowing freely down his blotched face, sobbed.

"Abel…Abel…don't go…I need you…I love you." he sobbed more, his voice hoarse from trying to talk and cry at the same time. Abel let a phantom smile cross his lips as the image of Grumpy faded, and he felt the world freeze.

"Thank you…"

Grumpy stared at Abel, the blue faced, cut up, smiling Abel, who was no longer breathing, no longer moving.

"Abel…" Gently taking Abel in his arms, Grumpy shook him with infinite care.

"A..Abel?!" Grumpy sobbed again. Dopey stood behind, the agony on his face apparent and soul wrenching. The rest of the gang stood in the doorway, horror stricken at the event that unfurled before them.

"Is he…" Happy asked, all trace of cheer gone.

"May he rest in peace…" Sneezy said, and he turned and lumbered up the stairs, as if the weight of a thousand worlds dragged at his feet; he felt that it wasn't his place to watch this. Grumpy hadn't moved, except to hunch over Abel and cry his heart out.

"You know I love you, don't you? Please, please don't leave me…" Grumpy moaned.

Dopey gently touched his fingers to Grumpy's shoulder.

"Grumpy, you have to see this…" Dopey said. Grumpy wanted to turn and snarl at Dopey, to never leave the poor dead wretch in his arms who he KNEW had the worst life anyone could have known.

"I promised to protect him…" Grumpy said, tearfully, Dopey felt a darker weight press down on him.

"I failed him, Dopey. I didn't get here on time…I should have known!" Grumpy said, sobbing and gasping loudly. Turning away, Dopey looked out the window, gazing at the beautifully hideous casket.

"Grumpy, you really have to see this." Dopey said. Feeling an icy coldness envelope his heart, Grumpy laid Abel on the floor, and kissed his forehead, smearing blood on his lips and on Abel's face. Hiccupping, Grumpy stood and turned to Dopey a bit angrily.

"What?" he choked out, wiping the blood away with a vicious swipe of his arm. Dopey closed his eyes, and pointed to the gold and crystal coffin outside. Grumpy looked, and took a quick intake of breath.

"Did that witch bring it?" Grumpy asked, and Dopey shrugged.

"I assume so." He murmured. Grumpy bit his lips.

"It's so…disgustingly beautiful…" Grumpy sighed, glancing at Abel, the sadness and despair for the kid explosive.

"She meant to use it for him." Grumpy realized. He wanted to tear up the ugly carcass of that witch, stomp on her remains, curse her to hell. Clutching at his chest, at the physical pain his hatred and despair gave him, Grumpy cried out in an animalistic fashion.

"WHAT DID HE DO TO DESERVE THIS!?" Grumpy screamed, and Dopey grimaced, wondering the exact thing. Shuddering, Grumpy turned back to Abel.

"Let's at least clean him up." Grumpy whispered. He and Dopey lifted the boy up, and placed him on the table. Fetching a cloth, Dopey warmed water and washed all of Abel's wounds. They were hideous, meant for marring his looks; and suddenly, Grumpy knew.

"That fucking bitch did this because he was pretty!?!?" Grumpy boiled in rage, in loathing. He turned from the table, and left, twitching with suppressed bestial urges to destroy something. Abel had done nothing wrong. He was as innocent as the angels in heaven. Grumpy realized that the Queen had punished Abel for being so gorgeous. Fresh tears sprung into the man's eyes. Leaving the house, he never noticed that the sky was no longer infected with black clouds, nor that evening was swiftly taking the clouds' place. Picking up a large stick, Grumpy was about to brutally beat a tree until his hands were either bleeding or broken, when he noticed a thread dangling from it, and a hook…and a small piece of lead. His throat clenching, Grumpy saw that it was a fishing pole. Fingering it carefully, he knew Abel had made it. A void opened in Grumpy, and he suddenly felt lifeless. Hugging the fishing pole as close as possible, he cried his eyes out again. Dopey had witnessed all of it, and he sat down against the house, head on knees, and stared at the space between his legs. Poor Abel; poor, poor Abel. _I only hope he is in a much better place._ Dopey thought, a tear sliding down his nose and dropping to the dirt where it glistened for a moment, then disappeared.

The very thought of putting Abel in the glass casket made bile work its way up Grumpy's throat, but it seemed the right thing to do. He couldn't fathom why, but the others agreed. So, Abel was placed in the glass coffin, cleaned and even stitched up so his wounds would not be so gruesome. Without the heart to bury him just yet, the Seven Deadlies gathered around the open casket, a massive bon-fire crackling nearby, lighting up the grim scene with dancing shadows. Dopey stepped up to the casket, and lovingly put the pendant on Abel's chest, arranging it so it seemed as if he held it tightly.

"Abel, in this time of hatred, punishment, and crime, you came to us with nothing but the desire to run from a past that not only haunted you, but came back to end it. You have taught me the value of friendship, love, and words. Thank you, and may the greater being, wherever it is, accept you wholeheartedly into its gates." Dopey said, surprising everyone with his speech. When Grumpy stepped up, he wanted to run away, deny that this was happening, and hug Dopey for his unwavering support.

"Abel, my Snow White. You accepted me with all your heart and I returned as much of mine as I had. When I first saw you, I thought you were some pompous rich-bitch without any guts. I soon realized that you were a hurting spirit with so much love and kindness that was never given back…" Grumpy paused, wiping angrily at his eyes.

"I love you so much…" He sobbed. "Let the higher being embrace you with the warmth you deserved but never got." Stepping up to Dopey, Grumpy hugged him tight.

"I almost wish you ended up with him." Grumpy whispered sadly to Dopey, who looked startled at the words.

"You know that it was meant to be the way it was" Dopey replied, and Grumpy shook his head, turned away, and slunk to the shadows. Happy lumbered to Abel, and bit his lips, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hey man, how could you leave your bed when I just finished it?" He said thickly, coughing to clear his throat.

"I was never much of a person, and I know I'm an ass, but you gave me peace of heart, and there is nothing I could have done to return that. It was so much fun having you around, especially when I taught you those different things…those to-much-information things. I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying yourself so much that you forget every pain this cruel world inflicted you." Happy put a fist to his mouth and bit it hard, tears blurring his amber eyes, and he returned to his place around the bon-fire. Next up was Sneezy.

"Ever since you came and cleaned up that disaster of a house, I stopped sneezing so much. You were the essence of true integrity and loyalty. I even learned to make pie crust. I never did much for you, and right now, I really wish I did, but rest in peace, and be happy in oblivion." Sneezy said, and he placed a bright rose next to the pendant. Bashful walked up to the casket and bent down, laying a small carving among the other treasures. It was a tiny totem pole looking thing, carved like a swan.

"May the spirits of the world carry you to your destiny. I bestow upon you the animal spirit, the swan, signifying beauty, grace, compassion, love, and strong devotion. Rest in peace, brother." Bashful said, and he stepped away. Sleepy walked up and gazed sadly at Abel's face.

"I may have been asleep most of the time you were here, but I never missed a thing. I could see in you a burning determination for justice, and the blackness if the injustice done to you. Never once did your pain go unnoticed. I pray that your soul is at the highest place in Heaven, and that God has made you an Angel of that justice you deserved." Sleepy said firmly, and he went to Bashful's side, wrapping an arm around the bi-color eyed man and hugging him tight to his side.

During all of this, Dock had hung apart, ashamed that the brutal animal urges that took over him while Abel was around for the first few days had made him act upon them without mercy. He felt that he didn't deserve to even look at the body of the tortured boy, let alone speak to him, but when Grumpy and Dopey came up to him and urged him to say farewell, he felt that it was a kind of forgiveness, at least from them.

"I feel disgusted with myself for even being here. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, and I wish I never touched you. As I sat, brooding over my crime, my horrible deed against you, I learned that nothing is worse than the betrayal of moderate trust. I took that trust and tore it apart with one act, one fucking act of selfishness, and I only brought terrible memories back.

"Nothing I can say will ever atone for that. I carried with me a seed of self-doubt, a belittling thought against myself, and it gave me a strange stutter. I know that right now, I shouldn't be able to even speak, but standing here, hoping that you will never forgive me, I know that I will never stutter again. And I have you to thank for that. It is my punishment, so I always remember the injustice I brought upon you, the shame. I don't even have a right to say this, but I want you to know that I hope you are given the best place in the afterlife, and worshiped like a god." And with that, Dock turned and dashed into the darkness of the forest.

Charming was not prepared for what she walked in to. She was prepared for anything but this. The Seven Deadlies were gathered around a massive fire, talking fondly about Abel. Seeing the casket, she dropped her weapon, the one she was wielding to fight the Seven Deadlies to save Abel, and gasped, which attracted the men's attention. Looking up, they all scrambled to their feet, hostile and teary faced.

"What have you done to him?" She cried, and she ran up to the casket. Grumpy growled and stepped in front of her.

"Who are you?!" He hissed. Charming fumed.

"I was a friend of his. He was a lonely prince who I met and fell in love with!" She ground back at Grumpy. The surprise of this left Grumpy speechless. Charming charged on.

"This poor boy has been through hell, and now…and now…" Putting her hands to her lips, Charming stepped up to the casket, Grumpy moving aside, and turned her eyes away when she saw his face. Cut up, ravaged. Looking back down, Charming could only feel a hollow sympathy.

"What were you to him?" she asked, her eyes flicking quickly to Grumpy, then back to Abel's face, and the gifts around him. She felt sick.

"His lover." Grumpy stated simply. Clenching her teeth, Charming nodded.

"And the rest of them?" She muttered. Grumpy sighed.

"Friends." He said, almost in defeat.

"How did this happen?" She choked out, and Charming knew she really didn't want to know.

"It was the Queen. The Witch Queen. She came when we were away. Attacked him, cut him up, and fed him something…I think it was a poisoned apple." Grumpy said, feeling fresh wave of loss wash over him. Charming stared hard at Abel, afraid that if she blinked, she would begin to cry.

"I hunted him down when the Hunter told me he fled here. I knew you seven lived in the Forbidden Forest, and I feared Abel would come to harm. It seems he did, but not from you." Charming said. Her eyes never left Abel's face. Grumpy had nothing to say.

"You want to know how I met him? I heard him making a sad wish into a well, talking to a bloody rat. He wished to run away, become a king in another country, and be married to a lovely lady who loved him as much as he loved her. He was so sad, so… empty, almost. I had to see who this sad creature was. When I learned it was him, I didn't react to how pretty he was. I only wanted to ask if he wanted to play. You want to know the worst part? He didn't know how to play. He never had a childhood. He only had pain, I see that now." Charming couldn't go on. Tears choked her up, and Grumpy had begged her to stop.

"Please, I know how bad it was…Don't make it worse" Grumpy nearly moaned. Charming blinked, and saw something that made her heart stop. Something so strange and utterly bizarre, that it took her staring as hard as she could up close to see if her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. And she saw it again.

Abel MOVED.

Charming gasped.

"He's moving!" She shouted, which startled everyone into jumping.

"Girl, don't play such sick jokes!" Grumpy stormed, but stopped when he saw the look on her face.

"Listen, I saw him MOVE!! He's breathing! His eyes just twitched! I saw it! He's not dead! Where is that apple, I am good at telling what drugs or potions have been used. I may be able to tell what that bitch gave him!" Charming said, and she stared at Grumpy until he left to get what she asked. Dopey was at her side in seconds.

"Alive? How can that be? He looks dead; he doesn't even show signs of life!" Dopey growled. Charming glared at Dopey.  
"Put your finger to his throat like this…" she said, touching her index finger and middle finger to her neck, finding her pulse. Dopey looked doubtfully at her, but did as she ordered. He touched his fingers to Abel's neck, and waited. Nothing, always nothing; until…A few minutes of waiting, and Dopey felt it, the pulse of a single heart beat. Leaping back, he paled, and nearly hyperventilated.

"It's true...He isn't dead!" Dopey cried, and he fell to his knees. Everyone gathered around Charming.

"How did you know?"

"Will he wake up?"

"Is there anything you can do?!"

The questions buzzed around Charming's head.

"Quiet, please! I know, because in my small kingdom, I was studying the medicine of man. I don't know what I can do until I know what the Witch Queen has given him!" as she said this, Grumpy had returned with the apple wrapped up in a cloth. She took it from him gingerly and examined it. She lifted it up to her nose, and inhaled deeply. Frowning, she swore she knew that smell. It was magic, she could tell that, but what kind… poking quickly at the apple, she took the smallest of tastes to the mild horror of everyone watching. When exhaustion wiped over her, she knew exactly what spell had been used.

"It is the black magic of sleep. The Elixir of Eternal Sleep, to be exact. I know how to fix this, but it takes no medical measures to do it." She said, grinding her teeth in frustration. Grumpy swiftly went up to her.

"Girl, whatever it is, I will do it!" he said. Charming pursed her lips.

"It takes the first kiss of a true love to wake him up." Charming said, looking Grumpy over and KNOWING that his and Abel's first kiss has already been used. Grumpy slumped.

"Who is his true love!?" he groaned, and Charming sighed.

"If I knew, I would travel the world to find him or her, and bring that person back!" Charming said. Grumpy grabbed at his hair in near hysterics.

"This is horrid news." He cried. Charming nibbled her lip, and thought.

"Well, you could try. It won't hurt. If it doesn't work, we'll try something else…" Charming said, praying to the greater beings above that it would work. Doubt flashed across Grumpy's expression, but he stepped up to Abel, his love, and bent down for a swift, chaste kiss. Abel still lay as the dead, and Grumpy felt a crashing sorrow, while the others let out a breath of disappointment. Charming turned to the others after feeling the same disappointment but a slight relief.

"If not him, who else?" She wondered out loud. Everyone looked away, even Dopey.

"None of us were ever close to Abel like Grumpy was" Happy said. Charming thought of something then. She had seen the look Abel had given her when she left him that first day she met him, the last day she talked to him; it was an innocent, deep longing. She realized then that she was Abel's first love. Charming almost felt like she was giving herself too much credit, but she was nearly anxious to try it anyway.

"May I try?" she asked bitterly, because it felt strange to ask strangers to kiss the one boy she had fallen for; the one person she saw true honesty, innocence, and determination that left her nearly breathless. Grumpy closed his eyes. He wouldn't know what to do if Abel woke to this stranger, but he was desperate for the kid to be alive again.

"Yes, of course" Grumpy said. Charming cleared her throat, and stepped up closer to Abel. She bent down, and whispered;

"Abel, if you can hear me, it's Charming. I wouldn't kiss you if it wasn't the only option I had left, because I know you have someone else that you love now, but please, accept this." And she touched her lips to his, hers warm, his deathly cold. Closing her eyes, Charming put all her soul into the small kiss, and prayed to everything she knew of to let it work. And she felt him stir. Blissful joy shot adrenaline through Charming, and she sobbed. Abel twitched, and then moaned, long, low, and mournfully. He was coming out of thick blackness, a pool of liquid nothing, and he was almost reluctant to leave. Blinking slowly, he gazed disoriented up at the person who woke him, and couldn't even react when he saw that girl from what seemed so long ago.

"Ch…Charming?" he asked, groggily looking up to the face he never expected to see.

Grumpy wept with happiness, and the rest of the gang cheered in a whooping declaration of their happiness that Abel had returned to them. Charming wanted to hug him tight, but she gave him time to come back fully. Abel closed his eyes again, smiling slightly.

"Charming…" he whispered, wincing when the word tugged at the stitches on his face. Waking up more, he felt a surge of panic. His face! Reaching up to examine his face, it seemed to take forever. When it finally got there, he gingerly rubbed his fingers over the stitches, and felt dismay course through his veins. It was so big, and he knew it would slightly distort his looks. Wanting to weep, he searched the blurry faces around him for Grumpy. When he met his eyes, he knew his fear must have been true. Grumpy looked crushed. Of course, Abel would never know that it was the fact that Charming woke him up and not Grumpy that crushed Grumpy. Abel wanted the fall asleep again. Charming laughed.

"Oh, Abel, I've searched for you since the day the Hunter told me you left!" she said, gazing lovingly at Abel. Abel looked back at Charming, and knew that she especially loved him for his heart. It was almost destroying to think that Grumpy was after Abel's looks, and not his heart. Smiling again at Charming, he tried to get up, and noticed that he was in a grotesque gothic casket made of glass. He gasped slightly.

"What is this? Was I really dead?" Abel asked, apprehension at the thought of being buried alive making his a little shaky. Charming shook her head.

"No, you weren't really dead, but I'm not sure about the casket." She replied. Grumpy stepped closer.

"The Witch Queen brought it with her, I guess. I don't know what she really planned to do with it, but it was there, and we figured since it was us putting you in it…we didn't know. I'm so sorry…Abel, if you could ever forgive me!?" Grumpy pleaded, and Abel blinked rapidly.

"It's ok. Really." Abel said, and the coldness in his voice felt like a knife in the heart to Grumpy.

"Just get me out…please…" Abel sighed, and Charming helped him out. He stood, weak and shaking, but he denied the help of Grumpy, who stood, longing to hold Abel, but horribly sad that Abel seemed to have changed. Abel was then led to the cabin, and to his bed, were he promptly fell back into deep slumber. Charming sat by him the entire night, his hand curled around her hand as if he never wanted to let go.

When Abel woke up, two days later, he was well rested and back to what seemed to be normal; to everyone but Grumpy. Abel didn't even look at him, and it was heart-breaking. Abel never realized how much it hurt Grumpy that he was being so calloused to him. He still thought Grumpy was only ever after his pretty face, forgetting the soul-opening moment when they had shared stories and given each other's hearts, minds, and spirits to one another. And the last 'I love you' he heard from the silver haired man as Abel slipped into the magic sleep, or the soul-wrenching tears Grumpy shed as he looked dolefully into his eyes. No, Abel couldn't get past the damaging words the Witch Queen had said to him. Charming asked Abel if he would leave with her, or stay and he decided he couldn't take it. As much as he wanted to stay, he didn't think he belonged there anymore. So he decided to leave. Not telling the rest of the group, Abel decided that he would announce his departure when he was leaving.

Abel loved the opal pendant Dopey gave him, and was speechless when Dopey handed it to him.

"Dopey, it's so beautiful!" Abel exclaimed, and he hugged Dopey as best he could, without jostling his wounds. Dopey smiled.

"I'm so happy you like it!" Dopey grinned. When the others handed him his death-bed gifts, he cried. He would never put these down as long as he lived. Then it occurred to him, that he didn't know these peoples real name. Not even Charming's. So on the third day of recuperating, he asked them.

"I have been here for quite a while, and I don't know your names. You all know mine, and I want to know yours." Abel said, and the thought _So I can call you by your real name, Grumpy…_ popped into his head, which he banished quickly so as not to bring the memory of the impassioned moment he had shared with the silver-haired man, or the cruel words of the Witch Queen. He didn't want to admit it, but he longed for Grumpy still, and he knew that he had to know his name; everyone's name, before he left for good. Charming stood up from her chair and flushed.

"Forgive me! My true name is Basil." She said, and Abel smiled.

"Basil, it's nice to formally meet you!" Abel said. Basil grinned back. Dock stepped up, not too close, and bowed.

"My name is George. I could never ask you to be happy to meet me, so please, don't say it." Dock, or George, said. Abel scratched the back of his neck.

"I still want to say it. I will always remember the man who attacked me as Dock. You, on the other hand, you are George. So, George, I'm happy to meet you." Abel said, and George felt like crying. Sleepy blinked open his eyes, and looked over from the couch where he was sleeping.

"I am Peter." Sleepy said, yawning wide and promptly falling back asleep. Wriggling as if extremely uncomfortable, Bashful shyly murmured his real name.

"I'm Simon" he said, and he dove for Sleepy and buried his face in the brunette's chest. Happy grinned wide, and bounced up to Abel.

"I am Daren. Spelt D A R E N but pronounced dah-rehn." He said, and Abel grinned back.

"Cool name!" Abel said, and Happy nodded.

"Of course!"

Sneezy put his hand out for Abel to shake.

"Antanio." He announced, and Abel shook Antanio's hand firmly. When Dopey stepped up to Abel, Abel sighed. He knew Dopey felt for him, and he almost felt like a traitor by picking Grumpy over him. But it was no good dwelling on the past.

"I am Thomas, Abel. I wish I told you sooner, but I…I guess I don't know why. Maybe I was afraid." Thomas said, and Abel hugged Thomas.

"It doesn't matter, I know your real name now, and it is a great pleasure to know it." Abel said, and Thomas smiled. Grumpy shuffled up to Abel, and Abel once again felt a tug at his heart. Could it really be true, that this sad man before him never felt anything for him but lust? Abel was too hurt still to think past those thoughts.

"I am Garrett. Abel, please, whatever that witch said, don't believe it…" Garrett said, but Abel only nodded curtly at him.

"Pleasure" he muttered, and Garrett had to bite his lips to keep them from trembling.

"So that's it. I know all of your names. Now, I have something to announce. I am leaving with Basil." Abel said, and Garrett wanted to die then and there.

"Abel, I hope you know you have a home with us." Thomas said, surprised by this change. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe Abel couldn't bear being around, being that the place was full of not too pleasant memories. Thomas looked at Garrett, who looked as if the world had ended. Sighing, Thomas wasn't about to try convincing Abel to change his mind.

"Do whatever you see fit." Thomas said. Abel nodded.

"I don't know why, but I think I have to do this. Basil says she has a place for me back in her kingdom. I can only hope that they will accept me." Abel said, a bit fearful for the future. The rest of the gang agreed.

"You deserve to pursue happiness in any way you see fit." They said, echoing Thomas. Abel was still unsure about things, but he was set on going; until Garrett begged for a word in private.

"Abel, please, I have to tell you before you go. I love you, so much. If that witch said anything to make you doubt that, don't believe it. I can't tell you to stay, and I won't ask you, because like everyone else said, you deserve to do what you see fit to find happiness. Just, please know that you are my world." Garrett said, and Abel was so confused he couldn't even answer. Garret took Abel's silence as a dismissal.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." Garrett sighed, and he left quickly to escape his heart-break.

* * *

Basil tugged the horse into a slow trot, waving goodbye to the Seven Deadlies. Abel's head was bowed low, and he sat slouched in the saddle, mulling over what Garrett had said. Garrett shouted and yelled farewells, trying to convince himself that this was for the best, and not believing himself for a second.

"I know you'll be happier with her!" the Garret yelled, saying it to make it sound official. Abel looked back, and waved sadly. Barely able to take his eyes off of Garrett, the one person who gave him love and devotion, Abel ripped his gaze from the group, and turned back to face forward. He couldn't even say goodbye. As the two made steady progress away from the forest, and the trees finally concealed the group of gorgeous men, Abel lifted his head slowly up to the endless field of flowers and tall grass, something that he would never see again. He wouldn't have the strength to ever come back. The boy didn't turn his head once after the last time, because his eyes had tears steadily spilling over his cheeks, his heart pining for the home he was leaving for the new one he knew would be a little lonelier than what he ever had before. Certain now that Garrett never once wanted Abel for his looks, he couldn't go back…not when he hurt Garrett by acting so heartless and cold. No. Abel was going to leave with Basil, a pale comparison to what he had back in the Forbidden Forest, and he was going to save Garrett heartache of being with the once Fairest One of All.

The end? Nope. Expect the grand finale in the epilogue!

I wanted it to end here, but I want it to end farther into the future, so expect a bit of a time lapse that we won't experience. I will go over the basics of what happened, but it won't be very detailed. The epilogue will probably only be about two pages, but it will be chock full of emo-ness

Of a happy ending? Maybe.

Of a depressing, emo-tastic, heart-breaking, tear flowing ending? Maybe.

In fact, I have two final endings I plan on using. I want you to decide which one you like best (although I'll probably keep both endings, as different as they are) because I am so undecided.

So…sorry if this took so long, I was obscenely un-inspired. I hope this isn't lame as llama shit.

I hope you like it.

(and if you would please, point out a few mistakes, cause I typed this up fast, and went over it only three times, and I KNOW that isn't enough)

With love, Ram-Kar.


	8. Authors Note

Hello readers. I know what you're thinking. WHERE THE HELL IS THE REST OF IT! Per a reviewer's suggestion, I split up my story so that you have to hunt down the endings. Shameless advertising, I know. But it was a good idea, and it keeps those who seek sappy endings from making their eyes bleed with the sad one, and the ones who lurk in the dark and take glee from the woes of others from getting their corneas seared by the lighter ending. Hope it doesn't put a stickler on things. Oh, and comments would be nice. Have any of you suggested my fic to anyone? Peace out, homies!

Ram-Kar.


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